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Abstract
In the Western Nilotic language Dinka, declarative clauses (with a declarative proclitic particle) includes a preverbal position which is obligatorily occupied by some NP (which may be zero if a third person pronoun). This NP may be considered to be a grammaticalized topic, and it may have almost any grammatical relation to the verb, or none at all. The function of topic selection, when there is a choice, ranges from marking topic continuity to introducing a new scene.
Focus is in Dinka primarily expressed by cleft sentences, which may focalize most of the same constituents as those that may be topicalized in simple declarative sentences. In cleft sentences that are declarative or polar interrogative, the focus is contrastive. In constituent questions, by contrast, the cleft construction is not contrastive, but a synonymous alternative to in situ questions.
Focus is in Dinka primarily expressed by cleft sentences, which may focalize most of the same constituents as those that may be topicalized in simple declarative sentences. In cleft sentences that are declarative or polar interrogative, the focus is contrastive. In constituent questions, by contrast, the cleft construction is not contrastive, but a synonymous alternative to in situ questions.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Information Structure and Nilotic Languages |
Editors | Osamu Hieda |
Number of pages | 15 |
Place of Publication | Tokyo |
Publisher | Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies |
Publication date | 2015 |
Pages | 61-75 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-4-86337-195-8 |
Publication status | Published - 2015 |
Event | Information Structure in Africa, with an international workshop on Nilotic Linguistics - Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan Duration: 3 Oct 2014 → 5 Dec 2014 |
Workshop
Workshop | Information Structure in Africa, with an international workshop on Nilotic Linguistics |
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Location | Kyoto University |
Country/Territory | Japan |
City | Kyoto |
Period | 03/10/2014 → 05/12/2014 |
Series | Studies in Nilotic Linguistics |
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Volume | 10 |
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Dive into the research topics of 'Information structure in Dinka'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Activities
- 1 Conference presentations
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Information Structure in Africa, with an international workshop on Nilotic Linguistics
Torben Andersen (Speaker)
3 Oct 2014 → 5 Oct 2014Activity: Talks and presentations › Conference presentations