Information Flow

In discourse-based grammatical theory, information flow is any tracking of referential information by speakers. Information may be new, just introduced into the conversation; given, already active in the speakers' consciousness; or old, no longer active. The various types of activation, and how these are defined, are model-dependent.

Information flow affects grammatical structures such as

  • word order (topic, focus, and afterthought constructions).
  • active, passive, or middle voice.
  • choice of deixis, such as articles; "medial" deictics such as Spanish ese and Japanese sore are generally determined by the familiarity of a referent rather than by physical distance.
  • overtness of information, such as whether an argument of a verb is indicated by a lexical noun phrase, a pronoun, or not mentioned at all.


Famous quotes containing the words information and/or flow:

    “I believe it has been said that one copy of The Times contains more useful information than the whole of the historical works of Thucydides.”
    —Richard Cobden (1804–1865)

    “And if blood of Martyrs is to flow on the steps
    We must first build the steps;
    And if the Temple is to be cast down
    We must first build the Temple.”
    —T.S. (Thomas Stearns)