| Part of language | Written (historiography) Italian of the 16th century in Francesco Guicciardini's "Storia d'Italia" |
|---|---|
| Meaning of the construction | Transition from one (discourse) topic to another |
| Text |
Ma era al tutto diversa la deliberazione del senato viniziano. (Discorso indiretto del portavoce veneziano). |
|---|---|
| hasTranslation | But the decision of the Venetian Senate was completely different. (Indirect speech of the Venetian spokesman). [While these things were being discussed with open disunity among the allies], a new event that arose produced effects very different from the common expectations; |
| comment | The Construction is in square brackets, while the rest has been included to allow for an understanding of its function. The NP with the coniunctio relativa includes the noun "cose" ('things'), which functions as an anaphoric encapsulator, summarizing the entire portion of the preceding text related to the discussions taking place among the allies. The verb "trattare" ('to discuss'), appearing in the VP with a 'si passivante' (thus, without a specified agent), carries an anaphoric value and refers to the action of discussing, which is the topic of the preceding co-text. The main clause that follows the Relative-Topic-Shift Construction introduces a new topic (the new and unexpected event being mentioned). Thus, it can be seen how, thanks to its anaphoric value, the Construction connects the preceding topic, which has already been concluded, to the subsequent one, simultaneously creating an effect of both cohesion and "separation" between two distinct subjects |
| Text |
...; e si ritirorno verso Cascina, attendendo che provisioni facesse più il re contro a sì manifesta contumacia de' suoi medesimi. |
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| hasTranslation | ...; and they withdrew toward Cascina, waiting for the king to take further measures against such open defiance from his own subjects. [While these were being awaited], the Florentines faced new and dangerous troubles from other quarters, stirred up primarily by the powers of the league. |
| comment | The Construction is in square brackets, while the rest has been included to allow for an understanding of its function. The coniunctio relativa 'Le quali' anaphorically refers to the 'provisioni' mentioned before the Construction. The noun in the NP thus remains implicit. The verb in the VP, 'aspettare' ('to wait') functions anaphorically, as it is a synonym of 'attendere', which appears shortly before the Construction. The main clause following the Construction introduces a new topic (the new trouble that the Florentines have to face). |
| cross-linguistic same form and same function | linking cliché (i.e., in Caesar's and Tacitus' works) | Latin |
| inherits from | Temporal Subordinate Clause | Italian |
| similar form and different function | Relative Clause | Italian |
| similar form and same function | Demonstrative-Topic-Shift Construction | Italian |
| Research Question | Constructions beyond the sentence: text-structuring in (esp.) sixteenth-century historiographical texts |
|---|---|
| Findings | The text reveals various types of text-level constructions, i.e., constructions capable of structuring and organizing the text. These structures, while formally appearing as sentences or phrases, operate at the textual level. |
| Date Created | 2024-11-21 |
|---|---|
| Annotator | Chiara Trombetta |
| References | Nencioni (1984). La lingua del Guicciardini. |
| References | Longrée & Mellet (2017-09-01). A text structure indicator and two topological methods: New ways for studying Latin historic narratives. 10.1093/llc/fqw021 |
| References | Mengaldo (2015). Sintassi e narrazione nella «Storia d'Italia» di Guicciardini: effetti di legato e di staccato. 10.1417/81352 |