Problems with topic (theme) and focus in German

Even today, the traditional concept of the sentence theme or topic is still largely underdefined, which quickly becomes clear if one compares contemporary views of this concept with one another and examines empirical material. The same also applies to the term discourse theme or topic, which, however, is not treated here. In the following article, some central positions in the present debate on topic and focus are taken up on the basis of a number of representative publications. These positions determine the respective terms in different interpretative traditions, which, as can be shown, partially conflict with one another. Following this some central characteristics of the term topic are isolated and discussed in detail on the basis of empirical material. It is shown that the traditional understanding of topic is shaped by very specific, prototypical phenomena. This traditional understanding does not reflect the variety of actual manifestations of the characteristics of topicality. Accordingly, and empirically more adequate concept for the undestanding of the term topic is suggested.