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Chapter 7. Focus marking and differential argument marking

The emergence of bidirectional case marking in Wan

Abstract

Wan makes use of a bidirectional case marker that does not attach to either the subject or the object but serves to separate core arguments that would otherwise be adjacent. The use of this optional marker depends on factors that are known to condition alignment splits in other languages (such as pronominality). Bidirectional case marking is but one strategy employed by speakers of Wan to avoid dispreferred combinations of adjacent subjects and objects. It is closely related to the marking of information structure: the same marker is also used to mark focus. The study presents an Optimality-Theoretic account of this relationship and draws parallels between the bidirectional case marking of Wan and systems of optional or pragmatic ergativity.

Abstract

Wan makes use of a bidirectional case marker that does not attach to either the subject or the object but serves to separate core arguments that would otherwise be adjacent. The use of this optional marker depends on factors that are known to condition alignment splits in other languages (such as pronominality). Bidirectional case marking is but one strategy employed by speakers of Wan to avoid dispreferred combinations of adjacent subjects and objects. It is closely related to the marking of information structure: the same marker is also used to mark focus. The study presents an Optimality-Theoretic account of this relationship and draws parallels between the bidirectional case marking of Wan and systems of optional or pragmatic ergativity.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Investigating information structure in lesser-known and endangered languages 1
  4. Part I. Prosody and information structure
  5. Chapter 2. Prosodic separation of postverbal material in Georgian 17
  6. Chapter 3. Prosodic and morphological focus marking in Ixcatec (Otomanguean) 51
  7. Chapter 4. On being first 85
  8. Chapter 5. Factors behind variation in marking information structure 119
  9. Chapter 6. Macrosyntactic corpus annotation 157
  10. Part II. Syntax and information structure
  11. Chapter 7. Focus marking and differential argument marking 195
  12. Chapter 8. A topic-marking cleft? 217
  13. Chapter 9. Subjects and focus in clefts 245
  14. Chapter 10. The influence of the state distinction on word order and information structure in Kabyle and Siwi (Berber) 265
  15. Chapter 11. Information structure in the Neo-Aramaic dialect of Telkepe 297
  16. Chapter 12. Information structure in a spoken corpus of Cameroon Pidgin English 329
  17. Part III. Views from better described languages
  18. Chapter 13. The illocutionary basis of information structure 359
  19. Chapter 14. Annotation guidelines for Questions under Discussion and information structure 403
  20. Language index 445
  21. Notion index 447
Information Structure in Lesser-described Languages
This chapter is in the book Information Structure in Lesser-described Languages
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.199.07nik

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Investigating information structure in lesser-known and endangered languages 1
  4. Part I. Prosody and information structure
  5. Chapter 2. Prosodic separation of postverbal material in Georgian 17
  6. Chapter 3. Prosodic and morphological focus marking in Ixcatec (Otomanguean) 51
  7. Chapter 4. On being first 85
  8. Chapter 5. Factors behind variation in marking information structure 119
  9. Chapter 6. Macrosyntactic corpus annotation 157
  10. Part II. Syntax and information structure
  11. Chapter 7. Focus marking and differential argument marking 195
  12. Chapter 8. A topic-marking cleft? 217
  13. Chapter 9. Subjects and focus in clefts 245
  14. Chapter 10. The influence of the state distinction on word order and information structure in Kabyle and Siwi (Berber) 265
  15. Chapter 11. Information structure in the Neo-Aramaic dialect of Telkepe 297
  16. Chapter 12. Information structure in a spoken corpus of Cameroon Pidgin English 329
  17. Part III. Views from better described languages
  18. Chapter 13. The illocutionary basis of information structure 359
  19. Chapter 14. Annotation guidelines for Questions under Discussion and information structure 403
  20. Language index 445
  21. Notion index 447
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