left periphery

English

The structure of the left periphery proposed by Luigi Rizzi.

Noun

left periphery (plural left peripheries)

1. (grammar) The part of a syntactic tree above the inflectional phrase(s) (expressing tense, aspect, and/or mood), where topic, focus, illocutionary force, etc. are expressed.
   • 1997, Luigi Rizzi, “The Fine Structure of the Left Periphery”, in Liliane Haegeman, editor, Elements of Grammar: Handbook in Generative Syntax, Dordrecht: Springer, →ISBN, page 281:

     Four kinds of elements typically occurring in the left periphery will be taken into account: interrogative and relative pronouns, topics and focalized elements.

   • 2017, Elizabeth Cowper, Vincent DeCaen, “Biblical Hebrew: A formal perspective on the left periphery”, in Toronto Working Papers in Linguistics, volume 38, page 14:

     The polar-question particle sheds useful light on the syntax of the BH [Biblical Hebrew] left periphery. [...] With an overt Force head and the obligatory movement of the finite verb to the Topic head, the structure of the left periphery becomes more visible.

Translations

Translations

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 左緣／左缘 (zuǒyuán)

• French: périphérie gauche f
• Spanish: periferia izquierda f