What is given versus new information?

Given versus new information is a distinction between information that is assumed or supplied by the speaker and that which is presented for the first time.

The distinction between given and new information may affect the structure of clauses, sentences, and discourses.

• What is given information?
• What is new information?

• What is meaning and pragmatic function?

Prince 1981 225

Crystal 1985 136, 206–207

Context for this page:

• Concept module: given versus new information
• In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): G
• In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
• In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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