ABSTRACT

Focus particles (words such as even, only, also) play an important role in English, in various syntactic and semantic domains, but their characteristics pose numerous problems for current syntactic frameworks and semantic theories.
This book presents a comprehensive analysis of the syntax, meaning and use of focus particles and related function words in English and many other languages. It also provides a historical perspective on their development.

chapter 1|9 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|19 pages

Syntax

chapter 3|31 pages

The meaning of focus particles

An overview

chapter 4|34 pages

Additive particles

chapter 5|26 pages

Exclusive particles

chapter 6|13 pages

Identical values in conflicting roles

chapter 7|23 pages

Focus particles and phase quantification

chapter 8|21 pages

Historical aspects

chapter 9|4 pages

Overview and further prospects