Microsoft Word Final 7 Assaiqeli et al (523-545). docx

Topic framing strategy
Another strategy of exploitation of inversion that Govindasamy and David (2002) talk about concerns ‘topic framing using prediction pairs’. Govindasamy and David (2002, p. 91) state that “the break from the canonical word-order SV to VS serves as a framing device”. Goutsos (1997, p. 46) defines topic framing as a “sequential technique used for the explicit indication of sequential boundaries. It is achieved by simultaneously indicating the ending of a continuation span and the starting of an ensuing transition span”. Therefore, to frame a topic, the writer closes through a topic shift the current continuation span and opens a transition span, which will serve as a topic introduction (Goutsos, 1997). Prediction pairs are comprised of predictive and predicted members. In their study, the researchers found that the predictive member is usually a question (E P LOW FOCUS), which is used to end a previous span and then work as a gentle introduction to another span, or topic that will soon resume focus through P E. Govindasamy and David (2002, p. 87) state that “the writers by using inversion (E P LOW FOCUS) have helped readers to reduce their attention on the topic at the point the question is introduced before anchoring them on to a new topic”.

2. Levels of Focus

Huffman (1993) states that there are three levels of focus from which a speaker can choose; the first being signaled by P E, the second signaled by E P, the third signaled by E P in addition to a preceding ‘there’. While ‘here’ carries high deixis, ‘there’ carries low deixis. The nature of ‘there’, particularly non-referential ‘there’ coupled with E P, makes it a notch or one level lower in focus than E P. Therefore, the use of deictic adverb ‘there’, according to Huffman (1993) is not “dummy” and that it is functional and that the functionality of ‘there’ refutes the claim that E P and ‘there’ E P “are fully synonymous” (Huffman, 1993, p. 38).
Huffman (1993) proposes a three-step focus hypothesis in which the effects of downfocusing are three-tiered, that is there are three levels of downfocusing. Those three levels of focus could be used as degrees of focus to structure a text. For example, the author of a particular narrative may start a scene with more focus using P E then less focus using E P then lesser focus using ‘there’ (followed by) E P, shift again to more focus using P E or they may manipulate the degrees of focus the way they deem best to achieve certain effects, etc.