Introduction to Information Structure

1
Introduction to Information Structure

• A Day that will live in Infamy!

2
Structuring Information

1. I went to the store, to the beach, and to bed.
2. I went to the store and to the beach and to bed.
3. I went to the store and I went to the beach and I
   went to bed.
4. I went to the store. I went to the beach. I went
   to bed.

3
Structuring Information

• I went to the store. I went to the beach. I
  went to bed.
• I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, I am of
  Cephas, I am of Christ (1 Cor. 112).

4
Mental Representations

• Dooley and Levinsohn state, The organization
  that hearers associate with a discourse isa
  reflection of how the content comes together and
  is stored in the mind (200110).
• The information structuring devices are one of
  the means used to guide the reader in their
  construction of the intended mental
  representation of the discourse.

5
Mental Representations

• The Mental File Cabinet
• Major components of the discourse each get a file
• Narrative Participant (people) oriented
• Exposition Procedure or Topic oriented
• Hortatory (exhortation) Activity oriented
• New information is added to appropriate file

6
Mental Representations

• When new discourse entity is added, several
  questions
• Create a new file or use an existing one?
• This is the question of I am of X, I am of Y

7
Mental Representations

• When new discourse entity is added, several
  questions
• Create a new file or use an existing one?
• This is the question of I am of X, I am of Y
• What label do I put on the file?
• Who is I?

8
Mental Representations

• When new discourse entity is added, several
  questions
• Create a new file or use an existing one?
• This is the question of I am of X, I am of Y
• What label do I put on the file?
• Who is I?
• How does this file relate to the ones I already
  have? What drawer do I put it in?
• How does I relate to the other participants in
  the discourse?

9
Mental Representations

• When new discourse entity is added, several
  questions
• Create a new file or use an existing one?
• This is the question of I am of X, I am of Y
• What label do I put on the file?
• Who is I?
• How does this file relate to the ones I already
  have? What drawer do I put it in?
• How does I relate to the other participants in
  the discourse?
• When we mis-communicate or get lost, it is
  generally because of one of these things.

10
Natural Information Flow

• Every statement is a mix of presupposed and new
  information.
• Presupposed (i.e. old or established) information
  provide basis or processing the new.
• The reason that this class is so hard is this
• You are getting brand new information and then
  needing to immediately build on it.
• If it was more familiar, it would be much easier.

11
Natural Information Flow

• Default is to move from most known info to least
  known, as much as language allows
• English
• Greek
• Hebrew
• Verbs play significant role in this structuring

12
Violating Natural Information Flow

• Sometimes Natural Information Flow is violated
• Emphasis Adding extra prominence to the new
  information.
• Taking what was already most important and
  attracting more attention to it because of its
  significance.

13
Violating Natural Information Flow

• Sometimes Natural Information Flow is violated
• Emphasis Adding extra prominence to the new
  information.
• Taking what was already most important and
  attracting more attention to it because of its
  significance.
• Frames of reference Adding prominence to known
  or knowable information for organizational
  reasons.
• Creates an explicit frame of reference
  instructing the reader how to relate what follows
  to what precedes.

14
Violating Natural Information Flow

• Emphasis Adding extra prominence to the new
  information.
• Frames of reference Adding prominence to known
  or knowable information for organizational
  reasons.
• The only difference between emphasis and a frame
  is the status of the information!
• Status of information is based on context!

15
Questions, Presuppositions, and Answers

• To whom did you give the book? (Presupposition
  You gave the book to someone.)
• Default answer I gave the book to James, or To
  James.Marked answer (It was) to James I gave
  the book (and not to someone else).
• Where did you put my book? (Presupposition You
  put my book somewhere.)
• Default answer I put your book on the table, or
  On the table.Marked answer (It was) on the
  table I put your book (and not somewhere else).
• When did you arrive? (Presupposition You arrived
  some time.)
• Default I arrived yesterday, or
  Yesterday.Marked (It was) yesterday I arrived
  (and not at some other time).

16
Statements and Presuppositions

• Divers hope to resume their search of the frigid,
  murky Hudson River on Wednesday. They will be
  looking for for the most coveted piece of debris
  from the plane that safely splashed down in the
  river last week The missing left engine.
• New York Police Department harbor officers
  working with a sonar expert got a reading about
  60 feet down of an object 16 feet long and 8 feet
  wide. It is near where US Airways Flight 1549
  made its emergency landing. The engine is about
  the same size as the object picked up by sonar.
• Left engine of US Airways jet still missing in
  NYC, By COLLEEN LONG, Associated Press Story,
  1/21/09.

17
Violating Natural Information Flow

• Emphasis Adding extra prominence to the new
  information.
• Frames of reference Adding prominence to known
  or knowable information for organizational
  reasons.
• The only difference between emphasis and a frame
  is the status of the information!
• Status of information is based on context!

18
Frames of Reference

• What did you give to James and Elizabeth?
• Default I gave the book to James, I gave the
  backpack to Elizabeth.
• Marked To James, I gave the book to Elizabeth,
  I gave the backpack.
• What did you do this week?
• Default I arrived yesterday I will go
  sightseeing today.
• Marked Yesterday, I arrived today, I will go
  sightseeing.
• The status of the information determines the
  effect achieved by adding prominence to the
  information.

19
Examples

• Yodas English
• Mark 43-8 14-20
• 1 Corinthians 131-3
• 1 John 16-8
• Romans 71-3
• Ephesians 28-9
• Matthew 61 ff, especially vv. 5 and 7