Syntactic annotation – left dislocation and resumption

Generally speaking, the extended label for left-dislocation (-LFD) is applied to clausal or phrasal constituents in the left periphery which are overtly resumed by a coreferential phrase (for some specific exceptions to this see below). The coreferential phrase is then tagged with the extended label for resumption (-RSP):

(IP-MAT (ADVP-TMP-LFD (KOUS Do)                        ← left-dislocated constituent
                      (CP-ADV (WADVP-1 0)
                              (IP-SUB (ADVP-TMP *T*-1)
                                      (NP-SBJ (PPER he))
                                      (NP-OB1 (DPDS dit))
                                      (VVPP gesproken)
                                      (VAFIN hadde))))
        (ADVP-TMP-RSP (AVD Do))                        ← resumptive constituent 
...
)

This means that, wherever there is a constituent tagged -LFD, there should also be one tagged -RSP.

Left-dislocation and resumption of a subject

Where we have left-dislocation and resumption of a subject, only the resumptive constituent is tagged as a subject so as not to violate the requirement that each IP has exactly one subject.

The left-dislocated constituent is simply tagged as NP-LFD; the resumptive constituent is tagged as NP-SBJ-RSP:

(IP-MAT (NP-LFD (DPOSA Ere)         ← left-dislocated constituent 
                (NA iunkfrowen)
                ...)
        (NP-SBJ-RSP (DPDS de))      ← resumptive constituent 
        (VVFIN wusten)
        (PTKNEG nicht)
        ...
)

Clauses which have more than one -LFD/-RSP pair

Cases can arise where more than one -LFD/-RSP pair occurs in a single clause. In such cases, the pairs are co-indexed so as to avoid mismatches:

(IP-MAT (NP-LFD-2 (FM Ieu))
        (ADVP-TMP-LFD-3 (KOUS do)
                        (CP-ADV (WADVP-1 0)
                                (IP-SUB (ADVP-TMP *T*-1)
                                        (NP-SBJ (PPER he))
                                        (VVFIN was)
                                        (ADJP-PRD (NP-MSR (XY xxxii)
                                                          (NA iar))
                                                  (ADJP (ADJD olt))))))
        (ADVP-RSP-3 (AVD do))
        (VVFIN ghewan)
        (NP-SBJ-RSP-2 (PPER he))
        (NP-OB1 (NE Saruth))
)

Insertion of null resumptives (*-RSP 0)

In certain left-dislocation contexts, a null resumptive element (*-RSP 0) is inserted.

The following contexts call for insertion of a null resumptive:

• Where there is more than one left-dislocated element and a single resumptive element which could in principle pair with either one. As a default principle, the null resumptive element is inserted immediately after the first left-dislocated constituent. This insertion means that each left-dislocated constituent has a corresponding resumptive element, and the coindexation principle can be applied (see above):

(IP-MAT (CP-ADV-LFD-1 (C-V1 0)
                      (IP-SUB (VVFIN Is)
                              (NP-SBJ-2 (DPDS dat)) 
                              (ADVP (AVKO also)) 
                              (CP-THT-2 (KOUS dat) ...)))
(ADVP-RSP-1 0) 
(CP-ADV-LFD-3 (C-V1 0)
              (IP-SUB (VVFIN steruet) 
                      (NP-SBJ (DDARTA der)
                              (DPIS eyn))))
(ADVP-RSP-3 (AVKO so)) 
(VMFIN sal)
...
)

• Where there are two or mote left-dislocated constituents, of which only the latter is overtly resumed a clause-level. Again, the null resumptive element is inserted immediately after the first left-dislocated constituent by default, and the resulting -LFD/-RSP pairs are coindexed:

(IP-MAT (NP-LFD-1 (CP-FRL (WNP-2 (PTKG S) 
                                 (DWA welich)
                                 (NA voget)) 
                          (IP-SUB (NP-SBJ *T*-2)
                                  (NP-OB1 (DIARTA enen) 
                                          (NA richtere))
                                  (VVFIN set)
                                  (PP (APPR an)
                                      (NP (DPOSA sine)
                                          (NA stat))))))
(NP-RSP-1 0)
(NP-LFD-3 (CP-FRL (WNP-4 (PTKG s)
                         (DPWS waz))
                  (IP-SUB (NP-SBJ *T*-4) 
                          (PP (APPR vor)
                              (NP (DPDS dheme)))
                          (VVPP gelent)
                          (VAFIN wert))))
(NP-SBJ-RSP-3 (DPDS dat)) 
(VMFIN sal)
...
)