Information Structure in Complex Sentences - Synchronic and Diachronic: Preparation of a Diachronic Contrastive Corpus

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Based on discourse contexts, the project examines the contribution of information structure [=IS] to the variability of complex sentences in the older Indo-European languages, i.e., Indo-Aryan, Avestan, Hittite/Luwian, Greek, and Latin, from a synchronic and a diachronic perspective. Regarding synchronic aspects, it deals with the question as to whether, next to a primary structuring of information, there is a secondary structuring within complex sentences. Regarding diachronic aspects, the project examines, by comparing texts belonging to different language periods, which covariance from IS and other features in complex sentences leads to historic changes and cross-linguistic development tendencies. For this purpose, coherent texts, which are annotated multimodally by using IS- and syntax-relevant as well as philological and grammatical criteria, will be transferred into the ANNIS database, where they will be accessible and usable for further research (historical syntax, corpus linguistics, philology etc.). In the project proposed, we are planning to expand the material basis with texts from younger language periods, sc. Middle Indo-Aryan, Middle Greek and Late Latin. The results of this phase will be compared with those from the first phase, whereby generalizations of the observed language change processes will be possible. The additional annotations will be transferred into the ANNIS database as well. In a book publication the data will be evaluated and explained.