framsettningen

Framsettningen is a term used in discourse studies and rhetoric to describe a strategy in which the speaker or writer places the main claim or topic at the front of a clause or sentence in order to foreground it. The technique serves as a framing device, signaling what the audience should attend to and shaping how subsequent information is interpreted. Although the concept is most commonly discussed within Scandinavian linguistics, it is also used more broadly as a descriptive label for sentence-initial emphasis in multiple languages.

The word derives from Norwegian fram- meaning forward and sette meaning to set, with the -ningen suffix forming a noun. Related terms include fronting, topicalization, and theme-rheme organization, all of which address how information is distributed across a clause to highlight given or new content. In scholarly usage, framsettningen is often contrasted with other emphasis strategies such as clefting or focus marking, underscoring its specific role in positioning the topic at the outset of discourse.

In practice, framsettningen usually involves presenting the main point or topic at the beginning of a sentence or clause, thereby framing the subsequent information as supporting or elaborating that point. Example: "Framsettningen av hovedpoenget kommer i setningens begynnelse: Klimakrisen krever handling i dag." The technique is common in persuasive, journalistic, and formal discourse, where rapid emphasis and reader engagement are important.

See also: fronting, topic-comment structure, focus and emphasis, topicalization.