本书旨在研究中国英语学习者前置句式习得中的语用制约，并报告了三个实验的研究结果。本研究所基于的理论模式是Lambrecht(1994)和Birner & Ward(1998)对英语话题和前置句式的研究，其主要理论观点为，英语中的前置结构受语篇成分之间的语用关系制约。根据这一理论前提，本书主要回答以下几个方面的问题：语境与信息结构如何影响前置句式在中介语语法中的可接受程度；语用因素与学习者对前置结构的反应时间之间的关系；学习者在处理前置句式时使用了哪些语用策略。

英语的前置句式具有句法和语用两个方面的制约因素，但在以往的语序习得研究中，后者的作用并没有受到足够的重视。本书以语篇信息结构为切入点，从句法和语用的接口层面对这一问题进行了定量和定性的研究，为二语句法习　得研究提供了新的视角。

序

前言

List of Abbreviations

Chapter One Introduction

 1.1 The concept of preposin9

 1.2 Typological features of preposing

 1.3 Significance of the research

 1.4 Organization of the thesis

 1.5 Summary

Chapter Two Literature Review

 2.1 Context and felicity

 2.2 Information status in preposing

　 2.2.1 Information structure

　 2.2.2 Topic preposin9

　 2.2.3 Focus preposin9

 2.3 Discourse functions of preposing

 2.4 Discourse functions of Left—dislocation and invers

 2.5 Preposing in cross—linguistic perspectives

2.5.1 Subject and topic in Chinese

2.5.2 Preposing in Chinese

 2.5.2.1 NP preposing

 2.5.2.2 VP and AP preposings

 2.6 Issues in the acquisition of L2 word order

2.6.1 The role of Ll transfer

 2.6.1.1 Changing views of Language transfer.

 2.6.1.2 Transfer in L2 word-order patterns

2.6.2 Universalist account

2.6.3 Cognitive approaches

 2.6.3.1 General nativism and the Competition

 2.6.3.2 The Processability Theory

 2.7 Limitations of the previouS Studies

 2.8 Summary

Chapter Three Theoretical Framework

 3.1 The Topic Acceptability Scale

 3.2 Pragmatic constraints on preposing

　 3.2.1 Linking relations in preposing

　 3.2.2 Constraints on VP and AP preposings.

　 3.2.3 Constraints on focalization

 3.3 A general model for the present research

 3.4 Objectives of the study

 3.5 Summary

Chapter Four Pragmatic Effects on the Acceptabil of Preposing in Interlanguage Gram

　4.1 Research questions

　4.2 Methodology

　4.3 Participants

　4.4 InstrUments

 4.5 Procedure

4.5.1 The pilot study

4.5.2 Research design

4.5.3 Data collection

 4.6 Results

4.6.1 Findings from Test A

4.6.2 Findings from Test B

4.6.3 Findings from Test C

 4.7 Discussion

4.7.1 The acceptability of preposing in isolation

4.7.2 The acceptability of preposing in context

4.7.3 The effects of activation states

 4.8 Summary

Chapter Five Pragmatic Effects on Response Times to Preposing

 5.1 Research questions

 5.2 Methodology

 5.3 Participants

 5.4 Instruments

 5.5 Procedure

 5.6 Results

 5.7 Discussion

 5.8 Summary

Chapter Six Strategy Choice in Processing Preposings

 6.1 Research questions

 6.2 Methodology

 6.3 Participants

 6.4 Instrument

 6.5 Procedure

 6.6 Results

 6.7 Discussion

 6.8 Summary

Chapter Seven General Discussion

 7.1 The influence of L1

 7.2 Context and preposing

 7.3 Information status and preposing structure

 7.4 Canonical VS noncanonical word order

 7.5 The role of L2 proficiency

 7.6 Strategy choice

 7.7 Summary

Chapter Eight Conclusion

 8.1 Major findings

 8.2 Implications

8.2.1 Theoretical implications

8.2.2 Methodological implications

8.2.3 Pedagogical implications

 8.3 Limitations of the study

 8.4 Suggestions for future research

 8.5 Summary

Bibliography

Appendix I Judgment Test A

Appendix II Judgment Test B

Appendix III Judgment Test C

Appendix IV Think-aloud Test

Acknowledgements