## 5 Discussion
### Further Evidence of the Functional Distinctions of _Otc
#### 5.2.2 Non-Clause-Initial \(Otc\)  
In addition to the predominant initial position discussed above, the corpus yields 27 instances of non-initial position \(OTC\). Despite its low frequency (27 non-initial vs. 50 clause-initial), two major patterns of non-initial \(OTC\) can be distinguished. The most explicit and obvious pattern follows the sequence of \"NP \(\char 67\)\(OTC\) \" VP\", in which NP corresponds to the subject or topical theme, whereas \(OTC\) and VP constitute the rheme of the clause complex. Overall, 9 instances of non-initial \(OTC\) are associated with this pattern. One of the main functions of the post-subject \(OTC\) in this pattern is to highlight the preceding NP in initial position as the item that is being compared to an equivalent item in the preceding clause complex. However, since a conjunctive relation is most commonly expressed in the first part of the theme, as was evident from the textual \(>\) interpersonal \(>\) experiential order of thematic components [2], \(OTC\) in the post-subject position loses its thematic status, that is, it is no longer thematic. The point to be made here is that unlike clause-initial \(OTC\), which could be either adversative or replicaye, post-subject \(OTC\) universally functions as a marker of adversative extension, which compares two different topical themes, the subjects in some aspect realized by their respective rhemes. The function of contrastive topical themes stands out more strongly in post-subject \(OTC\). The post-subject \(OTC\) functions to give special emphasis to the subject as a contrastive topical theme. For instance, in example (6) below, the post-subject \(OTC\) functions to foreground the subject, while the writer is making a comparison between two different topical themes. (6) _The seductive and sensual women in the Gothic are normally punished for their outward behavior, [PERSON], for instance, tortures [PERSON] with her love affairs and ends up dead. Gothic heroines, on the contrary, are virtuous even though they may even portray sexual anxieties._ (BAWE-E)  
As argued earlier that, in the absence of negation, a different topical theme must be overtly presented in the clause complex containing \(OTC\). By inserting a post-subject \(OTC\), the topical theme is highlighted. In (6), the foregrounded subject/topical theme 'gothic heroines' is explicitly contrasted with the previously mentioned subject/topical theme, i.e.,'seductive and sensual woman in the Gothic', which forms the first pair of contrast signaled by \(OTC\). A secondary contrast between the themes is dependent not on the negative and positive syntactic forms within the structure of rhemes, but on the negative and positive values represented in the rhemes. The other pattern of non-initial \(OTC\), despite its low frequency in the corpus, is equally identifiable. As pointed out by [PERSON] et al. [1], a clause containing a conjunct may be linked to a preceding clause by one of the coordinators (e.g., _and, or, but_). The corpus data reflects this tendency by yielding three instances of conjunctive \(OTC\) preceded by the paratactic conjunction \(but\). The three instances (from the total of 27 instances of non-initial position \(OTC\)) of 'but + \(OTC\)' are listed in the below:  
(7) _However, Calvinism does not lead to world rejection, but on the contrary to world mastery._ (BAWE-E)  
(8) _Thus they argue that we are not at all closely related to Neanderthals, but that on the contrary by about 30,000 years BP an influx of anatomically modern H. sapiens into Europe had replaced the existing populations of Neanderthals._ (BAWE-E)  
(9) _Human beings are not naturally anti-social as [PERSON] described,'men have no pleasure, (but on the contrary a great deal of grief) in keeping company. '_ (BAWE-E)  
As these examples demonstrate, \(OTC\) in this pattern differs from its use in sentence-initial or post-subject position in at least two ways.