Abstract

A ‘Second Occurrence Focus’ is the semantic focus of a focus sensitive operator which is contextually given. SOF has been claimed to be phonologically unmarked, which poses a problem for association with focus theories assuming a direct relation between focus and pitch accent. This chapter discusses the main semantic-pragmatic accounts of the SOF challenge but also empirical investigations which found that SOF actually is marked by secondary prosodic prominence, providing evidence in favour of association with focus theories. A similar prosodic pattern could be found in semantically and prosodically comparable structures such as cases of implicational bridging. Finally, an outlook on a possible unified approach of the phonological representation of second occurrence expressions is presented which is based on metrical stress.