Typology of Constituent Focus in a West African Language: A Minimalist Analysis
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This paper investigated the syntax of focus constructions in Yorùbá detailing the strategy, devices and methods employed for them. Ten (10) native speakers aged 60 and above were purposively selected for structured oral interview based on their proficiency. Data were subjected to syntactic analysis using Rizzi’s Split CP Hypothesis of the Minimalist Program. Yorùbá operates ex-situ strategy as the syntactic device to form its focus constructions. A focused constituent is copied to the specifier position of the focus phrase (spec FocP) to check the [+focus, EF] on the Foc0 . A focused constituent is obligatorily followed by the focus marker ni. Argument positions accessible to focusing in the language are subject DP, object DP, preposition DP and genitive DP while accessible non-argument positions are predicate/verb and adjuncts or post modifiers. Focusing a VP/predicate, the language operates two methods: it either lexicalises the [+nominal] feature copied from the main verb at the clause left peripherial position or externally merges the nominalised form of a verb as the specifier of the FocP. Only a constituent specified with [+nominal] feature can be hosted at the specifier position of a focus phrase in Yorùbá.
Abstract
This paper investigated the syntax of focus constructions in Yorùbá detailing the strategy, devices and methods employed for them. Ten (10) native speakers aged 60 and above were purposively selected for structured oral interview based on their proficiency. Data were subjected to syntactic analysis using Rizzi’s Split CP Hypothesis of the Minimalist Program. Yorùbá operates ex-situ strategy as the syntactic device to form its focus constructions. A focused constituent is copied to the specifier position of the focus phrase (spec FocP) to check the [+focus, EF] on the Foc0 . A focused constituent is obligatorily followed by the focus marker ni. Argument positions accessible to focusing in the language are subject DP, object DP, preposition DP and genitive DP while accessible non-argument positions are predicate/verb and adjuncts or post modifiers. Focusing a VP/predicate, the language operates two methods: it either lexicalises the [+nominal] feature copied from the main verb at the clause left peripherial position or externally merges the nominalised form of a verb as the specifier of the FocP. Only a constituent specified with [+nominal] feature can be hosted at the specifier position of a focus phrase in Yorùbá.
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