Abstract
In Wolof (Niger-Congo), focus is expressed morphosyntactically via specific focus constructions. This article deals with two of them, namely the subject-focus and the complement-focus constructions. I propose to analyse them as copulaless cleft constructions of the form focus | topic, that is, constructions in which the focus and the topic are juxtaposed. In such clefts, the topic of the sentence is expressed by means of a noun phrase which is headed by the definite article la when the focus corresponds to the syntactic object, and by the morpheme a when the focus corresponds to the syntactic subject of the sentence.
Abstract in Wolof
Tënk bi: Ci làkku wolof, dafa am ay waxin yu wuute yoo xam ni ñu mëna jëfandikoo ngir joxoñ baat bi gëna am solo ci li ñuy wax (rhème bi). Mooy baat bi di tontu laaj bi nit di laaj, walla bi muy junj. Li taxa jóg sama mbind mi mooy ni ñuy fente kàddu yi di tontu kan, lan ak kañ. Maanam, li ma fi soxal mooy waxin yi ëmb a walla la ci seen fent, ni ci ñëpp a ko xam walla loolu laa bëgga wax. Gëstukat yi faral nañu jàppe yiile waxin ay conjugaisons. Waaye man, dinaa fi wone ni waxin yii constructions clivées sans copule lañuy wuyoo yoo xam ni dañu am melo rhème | thème (thème mooy li ñu ciy wax). Kon, waxin yii amuñu copule, ñaari clauses nominales kase moo ci nekk. Copule di bi, ci waxinu weddi rekk lay feeñ, ni ci dul loolu laa bëgga wax.
Abbreviations
- 1
-
first person (singular subject if not specified otherwise)
- 2
-
second person (singular subject if not specified otherwise)
- 3
-
third person (singular subject if not specified otherwise)
- ANT
-
anteriority marker
- CFOC
-
complement-focus
- COP
-
copula
- DEF
-
definiteness marker
- DEM
-
demonstrative marker
- DIST
-
distal
- FOC
-
focus
- IPFV
-
imperfective
- LOC
-
locative
- NC
-
noun-class marker
- NEG
-
negation marker
- O
-
object
- PL
-
plural
- Q
-
question marker
- REL
-
relative
- SFOC
-
subject-focus
- SG
-
singular
- TOP
-
topic
- VAL
-
valence change marker
- XPL
-
expletive
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Editorial: JALL welcomes new Editors
- Articles
- The noncausal/causal alternation in Kagulu, an East Ruvu Bantu language of Tanzania
- The Wolof argument-focus constructions as copulaless clefts
- Preverbal clitic clusters in the Tanzanian Rift Valley revisited
- Review article: messages from (not so distant) relatives in the Nuba Mountains: on how (not) to reconstruct Proto-Bantu
- Book Review
- Serge Sagna: Cross-Categorial Classification. Nouns and Verbs in Eegimaa
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Editorial: JALL welcomes new Editors
- Articles
- The noncausal/causal alternation in Kagulu, an East Ruvu Bantu language of Tanzania
- The Wolof argument-focus constructions as copulaless clefts
- Preverbal clitic clusters in the Tanzanian Rift Valley revisited
- Review article: messages from (not so distant) relatives in the Nuba Mountains: on how (not) to reconstruct Proto-Bantu
- Book Review
- Serge Sagna: Cross-Categorial Classification. Nouns and Verbs in Eegimaa