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This round table focuses on linguistic mechanisms to structure information in clauses and in texts. Information structure is an essential layer of linguistic organization both in its own right and in interaction with morphosyntax and semantics. However, current approaches to information structure suffer from highly divergent terminology and conceptualization.

This round table assumes the theoretical tenets of functional linguists such as Firbas, Halliday, Dik and Sinclair, and has a strong empirical, data-driven orientation.

Some papers seek to elucidate the categories of information structure that are still ill understood such as theme-rheme, given-new, and focus.

Other papers investigate the interface between information structure, grammar and semantics in specific constructions. The round table is thus of interest to anyone interested in developing replicable analyses of information structure, which identify the components of information units, and larger sequences, in speech and writing.

The first round table was organized by Tom Bartlett and Gerard O'Grady at Cardiff University in September 2014, and a selection of papers from this event appeared in June 2016 as a special issue of the journal English Text Construction on "The dynamicity of communication below, around and above the clause", edited by Ben Clarke (University of Portsmouth) and Jorge Arús Hita (Universidad Complutense de Madrid).

Any queries may be addressed to:
Lieven Vandelanotte