List of Tables/Figures
Abbreviations
Preface
Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 The Noun Phrase Accessibility Hierarchy
1.2 The Cleftability Hierarchy
1.3 Theory and Methodology
1.3.1 AH as a universal tendency
1.3.2 A working definition of clefts
1.3.2.1 Previous definitions
1.3.2.2 Clefts in non-configurational languages
1.3.2.3 A working definition
1.3.3 Clefting strategies
1.3.4 Other methodological considerations
1.3.4.1 Reduced Clefiability Hierarchy through collapsing
1.3.4.2 Measurement of grammaticality and universality
1.3.4.3 Data and analysis


Chapter 2 NP Cleftabifity
2.1 The Cleftability Criteria
2.2 Grammaticality： Cleftable Versus Uncleftable
2.2.1 Clefting of subject only
2.2.1.1 Chadic languages
2.2.1.1.1 Margi
2.2.1.1.2 Bade. Ngizim. Karekare. and Dera
2.2.1.2 Toba-Batak
2.2.1.3 Indonesian
2.2.1.4 Malagasy
2.2.2 Clefting of NP arguments
2.2.2.1 Basque
2.2.2.2 Berber
2.3 Clefting Strategies： Deletion Versus Retention
2.3.1 Polynesian languages
2.3.1.1 Maori
2.3.1.2 Tongan
2.3.1.3 Samoan
2.3.1.4 Rennellese
2.3.2 Summary
2.4 Structural Complexity ： Wider Versus Narrower Distribution
2.4.1 Maori
2.4.2 English
2.4.3 Danish
2.4.4 Kinyarwanda
2.4.5 Tera
2.4.5.1 The cleft construction
2.4.5.2 Clefiability
2.4.5.3 Distributions of SU and ADVL as cleft focus
2.5 Frequency of Occurrence ： More Frequent Versus Less Frequent
2.5.1 Intralinguistic frequency
2.5.2 Crosslinguistic frequency
2.6 Promotion to Higher Positions for Clefting
2.6.1 Subjectivization in Indonesian
2.6.2 Objectivization in Kinyarwanda
2.7 Diaehronie Precedence ： Indonesian


Chapter 3 NP Cleftability——Counterevidenee?
3.1 Cleftability and Ergativity
3.1.1 Mayan languages
3.1.2 Pukapukan
3.1.3 Subject reinterpreted
3.2 Cleftability and Language Specific Constraints： Chinese
3.2.1 The problem of DO uncleftability
3.2.2 A linear constraint
3.2.3 Is shi an adverb?
3.2.4 0uasi-verbs and the constraint revisited
3.2.5 Summary
3.3 Conclusion


Chapter 4 Non-NP Cleftability
4.1 Introduction
4.2 AP Cleftability
4.2.1 The Nouniness Principle
4.2.2 Cleftability of predicational APs.the Specificity Condition
4.2.3 Contextually generated specificity.English
4.2.4 Summary
4.3 VP Cleftability
4.3.1 Limitations and conditions
4.3.2 Crosslinguistic evidence
4.3.2.1 Morpho-syntactic nominalhy of clefted VPs ： English. Berber. Breton. and Hausa
4.3.2.2 The retention strategy for VP clefting ： Vata . Yoruba. and Haitian
4.3.3 The Specificity Condition revisited： English
4.3.4 Summary
4.4 PP Clefting
4.4.1 Proposition-internal and proposition-external PPs
4.4.2 PP clefting and the Nouniness Principle
4.5 ADVP clefting
4.6 Summary and Conclusion


Chapter 5 Towards a General Account of Cleftability
5.1 Theme and Thematicity
5.1.1 Theme
5.1.2 Thematicity
5.2 The Function of Clefts
5.2.1 Focused thematization
5.2.2 Clause binding and salient information
5.3 The Thematicity Principle （TP）
5.4 Further Empirical Evidence
5.5 Summary


Chapter 6 The Contrastive Focus Marker
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Formal Identity between the CFM. the Copula and the Demonstrative
6.3 Polesemy in Mandarin Chinese
6.3.1 Synchronic evidence
6.3.2 Diachronic evidence
6.4 The Common Pragmatic Function
6.5 Crosslinguistic Evidence
6.5.1 Hebrew
6.5.2 Margi
6.5.3 Mokilese
6.5.4 Kusaiean
6.5.5 Malayalam
6.6 An Iconic Account
6.7 Conclusion


Chapter 7 Conclusion
References
Language Index
Subject Index