46 Linguistics is the scientific study of the nature of language The Given element is
put before the New information, because there is an area of mutual knowledge the writer wants to share with the readers (see Bloor and Bloor
(1995; Taiwo, 2003). Sometimes, authors may not necessarily use question heading. They may just use an ordinary heading. It is also possible that the whole information
in the clause is new, for example
8.3. It is my belief that you are coming tonight. Since the word
it is
a
dummy or an
empty subject, it caries no information, the whole stretch can be regarded as New information. Writers may also use ellipsis as a style in writing. Ellipsis is the omission of a word or a chunk from a sentence in such away that only the given information is left. This does not render the text incomprehensible in anyway, as the reader can still makeup the omitted part. For example
8.4. (a) Bola got up form the bed (b) rushed to the bathroom (c) and took her bath. In (band (c) above, all the information are new, because the Given
information has been omitted, but the hearer can still link it to the subject of (a. In spoken texts, there are more assumptions, since the situation helps the interlocutors to interpret the message.
For instance, in the sentence
8.5. Please get me my slippers. the entire information is new. This is because the speaker shares some information with the hearer, which include the fact that the hearer knows he/she is the one being addressed and that the hearer knows where the speaker’s
slippers are, and so forth.
Share with your friends: