Difference between revisions of "Extraction or Focus"
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| + | This page is dedicated to describing the syntactic patterns and permissible structures that involve this construction. |
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| + | ==Introduction== |
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Sereer employs special morphology on the verb when a constituent has been fronted for focus or wh-marking. This morphology generally involves the vowel '''u''', and therefore is sometimes referred to as '''u'''-morphology here. Examples are below: |
Sereer employs special morphology on the verb when a constituent has been fronted for focus or wh-marking. This morphology generally involves the vowel '''u''', and therefore is sometimes referred to as '''u'''-morphology here. Examples are below: |
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</gl> |
</gl> |
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| − | Example (1) is an instance of subject focus. The verb takes the suffix '''-u''' and has no subject marking. Example (2) shows object marking, where the object '''Yande''' has been fronted and the '''-u''' again occurs. Finally, we see an object wh-question, and the suffix '''-u''' again surfaces |
+ | Example (1) is an instance of subject focus. The verb takes the suffix '''-u''' and has no subject marking. Example (2) shows object marking, where the object '''Yande''' has been fronted and the '''-u''' again occurs. Finally, we see an object wh-question, and the suffix '''-u''' again surfaces. |
==U-Extraction in Wh-questions== |
==U-Extraction in Wh-questions== |
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Revision as of 00:36, 15 December 2012
This page is dedicated to describing the syntactic patterns and permissible structures that involve this construction.
Introduction
Sereer employs special morphology on the verb when a constituent has been fronted for focus or wh-marking. This morphology generally involves the vowel u, and therefore is sometimes referred to as u-morphology here. Examples are below:
<gl fontsize=11> Yande nafu Jegan \gll Yande naf-u Jegan Yande hit-foc Jegan \trans It's Yande who hit Jegan. (165) </gl>
<gl fontsize=11> Yande anafu. \gll Yande a= naf-u Yande 3sg.sbj hit-foc \trans It's Yande he hit. (165) </gl>
<gl fontsize=11> xar ajawu. \gll xar a= jaw-u what 3sg.sbj cook-foc \trans What did he cook?. </gl>
Example (1) is an instance of subject focus. The verb takes the suffix -u and has no subject marking. Example (2) shows object marking, where the object Yande has been fronted and the -u again occurs. Finally, we see an object wh-question, and the suffix -u again surfaces.
U-Extraction in Wh-questions
See the page on Questions.
Reduplication of predicates cannot occur when wh-extraction of the subject is marked: qaarit ke a laaɓiira (laaɓiir) 'the friends are generous' but qaarit qum laaɓiiru (*laaɓiir)?, 'which friends are generous?' (115)
Syntax
Focus marking and wh-question formation both involve fronting of the constituent in focus or in question. Other arguments stay in the same position. These constructions should probably be analyzed as involving only a single clause. Evidence for this comes from resumption. When a pause is inserted between Yande and the verb in (2), the verb must take the object suffix -(i)n:
<gl fontsize=11> Yande, anafun. \gll Yande a= naf-u-n Yande, 3sg.sbj hit-foc \trans Yande, it's him who he hit. (165) </gl>
U-Focus
Extraction and fronting of an argument with verbal -u marking can also be used to signal focus on the fronted argument.
| a buga [o gar]. |
| a= | bug | -a | o= | gar |
| 3SG | want | NPT | 2SG | come |
He wants you to come. (151)
| [o gar] a bugu. |
| o= | gar | a= | bug | -u |
| 2SG | come | 3SG | want | EXTR.ARG |
He wants you to come. (151)
More to come shortlyFaytak 00:29, 15 December 2012 (UTC)
kaa
The "preverb" kaa may mark verbal focus on the verb immediately following. More research is needed on this point.
