250 Jennifer Herriman
into an extraposition with the matrix predicate det händer (‘it happens’), which
has a ‘filler’ function.
(36) Often in science the same idea is thought of in different contexts in different
parts of the world. (JL1)
Det händer ofta inom vetenskapen att man kommer på samma idé i olika delar
av världen. (JL1T).
‘It happens often within science that one ...’
In a simple clause with a non-subject element in sentence-initial position in
Swedish, the subject would be placed after the verb, i.e. later in the Rheme, where
it would be in a position of greater prominence in the message. Extraposition,
however, maintains the same ordering of the information in the subject and verb.
In (37), for instance, the complex Theme, maybe he, is translated into an extraposi-
tion where the modal meaning of maybe is expressed by the matrix predicate det
kan också hända and the verb ljög ‘lied’ remains in focus in the Rheme.
(37) ... or maybe he was lying (RF1)
... men det kan också hända att han ljög. (RF1T)
‘but it can also happen that he lied’
Similarly, in (38) the adverbial in initial position, Every now and then, is followed
directly by the subject in English, whereas Swedish would require the adverbial
to be followed directly by the verb. Extraposition, however, retains the ordering
of the subject before the verb. In the translation, the modal meaning of would in
the English original is expressed by the matrix predicate hände det ‘happened it’,
while the subject, ett system som var så smidigt och anpassningsbart som detta, is
downranked to the subordinate clause where it precedes the verb phrase bröt ihop
‘broke down’. Inversion of the subject and verb would have increased the promi-
nence of the subject (cf. Med jämna mellanrum bröt till och med ett system som var
så smidigt och anpassningsbart som detta ihop, ‘With even intervals broke even a
system that was as smooth and accommodating as this down’).
(38) Every now and then even a system as accommodating as this would break
down, as it did the day Claude de Lorraine came to live in Williamsburg. (RF1)
Med jämna mellanrum hände det till och med att ett system som var så smidigt
och anpassningsbart som detta bröt ihop, som till exempel den dag då Claude
de Lorraine flyttade till Williamsburg. (RF1T)
‘With even intervals happened it even that a system as ...’
A factor which further contributes to the greater frequency of extraposition
in Swedish is therefore the greater tendency for Swedish to place adverbials in