topicív

Topicív is a term used in discourse studies to describe a pattern of topicalization in which a topic is foregrounded and developed across clauses or sentences. The concept encompasses both rhetorical strategy and information-structural organization, emphasizing how a topic is introduced, maintained, and elaborated to produce coherence and a sustained focus for the reader or listener.

Etymology and origin: Topicív is a neologism formed from the word topic and a suffix suggesting relation or pertaining to, reflecting its role in signaling the topic as the central thread of discourse. It has appeared in scholarly discussions in the last decade as researchers seek a concise label for a family of topicalization strategies rather than for a single construction.

Core characteristics: A topicív pattern typically begins with a topic cue or frame, such as a topic phrase or headline-like opening, followed by development that reinforces or extends the topic across subsequent sentences. It contrasts with focus-driven devices that highlight new or contrastive information. In analysis, topicív phenomena are viewed as part of the broader information structure, interacting with given/new information and with sentence-level cohesion devices.

Applications: The concept is used in corpus linguistics to classify and quantify topic-focused passages, in stylistics to describe authorial technique, and in natural language generation to maintain topic continuity. It can also aid teaching about how to maintain coherence in longer texts by foregrounding a central theme.

See also: topicalization, information structure, theme and rheme, cohesion.