Topicalization

Today I'd like to say a thing or two about the question of topicalization, which is still a little problem area for many learners. First off, let me clarify that linguists understand two slightly different concepts by that term.

The word topicalization can refer to the act of placing information at the front of the sentence in order to establish the topic of what a speaker is going to say/write. Consider this headline:

In impoverished Syldavia, king's new palace an eyesore for some

What is the topic of the sentence? What this sentence about? Is it about the financial situation of the kingdom of Syldavia? The design of the new palace? Is it about what some Syldavians think of the royal palace? I would argue that the syntax doesn't make it all too clear. It is true that by fronting the adverbial phrase ("in impoverished Syldavia") we highlight one specific piece of information, namely, where the infamous building is located (also its financial precariousness). So, okay... the writer has stressed one element, most likely the thematic element in the phrase.

However, I don't want to address that kind of topicalization, but rather the one that allows us to establish a topic in an explicit manner.

So picture yourself in a job interview. Even if the "main topic" of the conversation is obvious, it is undeniable that a number of areas/aspects are going to be discussed: qualifications, benefits, salary, availability, etc. How do you signal what you're exactly referring to when you talk? You need an expression that helps you introduce or establish a (sub)topic, something that basically says: "I'm talking about money". Of course, you want to say that "Now I am going to talk about money". So... how should you express that idea?

It's actually quite simple. You just need the English equivalent of the Japanese "wa" particle. What is that? Well, it is a syllable that is customarily used to clarify the subject matter of a sentence, which is why in Japanese the question Where is John?, for example, sounds like this: John wa, doko desu ka? A rough literal translation would be: Regarding John, where is he?

Wouldn't it be nice to have such an efficient little particle in English? It would, indeed, but you don't need to dream about it because the English language does have an analogous particle. I refer here to the suffix "-wise". Yes. That little add-on (which we find, for instance, in the word otherwise) does the exact same job. Interestingly enough, it is a productive morpheme in some expressions, such as money-wise meaning in terms of money. Similar examples abound: weather-wise, health-wise, family-wise, personality-wise, etc. The bad news is that it cannot be bandied about just like an article or a modal verb. In other words, its use is rather limited. So, what do we do?

I can tell what you should not do. Many learners tend to resort to a small array of unidiomatic options. Let's assume they want to discuss the feasibility of a project. They'll start a sentence by using something like about its feasibility or talking about its feasibility. Ouch! Those are not exactly great choices, particularly in light of the many natural alternatives that the English language has to offer. Check these out:

• In terms of its feasibility
• As far as its feasibility goes
• Regarding its feasibility
• With regard to its feasibility
• With respect to its feasibility
• As for its feasibility
• On the question of its feasibility
• As to its feasibility

Should I go on? Alright. You get the idea. So, whenever you need to tackle a facet of a problem or address an aspect of a debate, make sure you establish the topic appropriately. As you can see, options are not exactly in short supply.