Word order and information structure in Romeyka
IntroductionThis study examines the organization of information structure in Romeyka, the only surviving variety of Asia Minor Greek still spoken in present-day Anatolia, Turkey. Given its historical isolation from Modern Greek and its prolonged contact with Turkish, Romeyka presents a unique lingui...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1337962/full |
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| author | Nicolaos Neocleous Ioanna Sitaridou |
| author_facet | Nicolaos Neocleous Ioanna Sitaridou |
| author_sort | Nicolaos Neocleous |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionThis study examines the organization of information structure in Romeyka, the only surviving variety of Asia Minor Greek still spoken in present-day Anatolia, Turkey. Given its historical isolation from Modern Greek and its prolonged contact with Turkish, Romeyka presents a unique linguistic environment for analyzing the structural roles of [focus] and [topic].MethodsUsing empirical data, we investigate how [focus] and [topic] are realized in Romeyka. We analyze their structural positioning within the left periphery and examine their association with an ex situ realization.ResultsOur findings indicate that [focus] and [topic] function as independent structural notions in Romeyka. Both elements are consistently positioned in the left periphery, suggesting a systematic approach to information structuring distinct from Modern Greek.DiscussionThe observed patterns provide evidence of a reorganization of information structure in Romeyka, likely influenced by its long-term linguistic isolation and contact with Turkish. Comparisons with Pontic Greek highlight both similarities and differences, offering insights into the potential contact-induced changes in Romeyka’s grammar. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ae0a4858cd8644f796b51a625f64379d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-ae0a4858cd8644f796b51a625f64379d2025-08-20T02:32:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-05-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.13379621337962Word order and information structure in RomeykaNicolaos Neocleous0Ioanna Sitaridou1Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, United KingdomFaculty of Modern & Medieval Languages and Linguistics Raised Faculty Building University of Cambridge and Queens’ College, Cambridge, United KingdomIntroductionThis study examines the organization of information structure in Romeyka, the only surviving variety of Asia Minor Greek still spoken in present-day Anatolia, Turkey. Given its historical isolation from Modern Greek and its prolonged contact with Turkish, Romeyka presents a unique linguistic environment for analyzing the structural roles of [focus] and [topic].MethodsUsing empirical data, we investigate how [focus] and [topic] are realized in Romeyka. We analyze their structural positioning within the left periphery and examine their association with an ex situ realization.ResultsOur findings indicate that [focus] and [topic] function as independent structural notions in Romeyka. Both elements are consistently positioned in the left periphery, suggesting a systematic approach to information structuring distinct from Modern Greek.DiscussionThe observed patterns provide evidence of a reorganization of information structure in Romeyka, likely influenced by its long-term linguistic isolation and contact with Turkish. Comparisons with Pontic Greek highlight both similarities and differences, offering insights into the potential contact-induced changes in Romeyka’s grammar.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1337962/fullfocustopicword orderinformation structureOV/VO alternationheadedness |
| spellingShingle | Nicolaos Neocleous Ioanna Sitaridou Word order and information structure in Romeyka Frontiers in Psychology focus topic word order information structure OV/VO alternation headedness |
| title | Word order and information structure in Romeyka |
| title_full | Word order and information structure in Romeyka |
| title_fullStr | Word order and information structure in Romeyka |
| title_full_unstemmed | Word order and information structure in Romeyka |
| title_short | Word order and information structure in Romeyka |
| title_sort | word order and information structure in romeyka |
| topic | focus topic word order information structure OV/VO alternation headedness |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1337962/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nicolaosneocleous wordorderandinformationstructureinromeyka AT ioannasitaridou wordorderandinformationstructureinromeyka |