748
edits
Cleft: Difference between revisions
remove focus vs. topic aside and link to new article
(Created page with "{{refgram|syntax|the cleft verb}} In Toaq, the word {{t|nä}} is used to create so-called '''clefts'''. A cleft is a complex sentence that rearranges the contents of a simple sentence. In English, this is often used for emphasis (<i>It is <u>my purse</u> that they stole</i>). In Toaq, this functionality already lives in focus markers, and so {{t|nä}} is primarily '''a tool for rearranging sentence structure'''. == {{t|nä}} with noun phrases == Imagine you’ve got...") |
(remove focus vs. topic aside and link to new article) |
||
| (4 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{refgram|syntax|the cleft verb}} | {{refgram|syntax|the cleft verb}} | ||
{{feature|See also|[[Focus, topic, cleft]]}} | |||
In Toaq, the word {{t|nä}} is used to create so-called '''clefts'''. A cleft is a complex sentence that rearranges the contents of a simple sentence. In English, this is often used for emphasis (<i>It is <u>my purse</u> that they stole</i>). In Toaq, this functionality already lives in [[focus marker]]s, and so {{t|nä}} is primarily '''a tool for rearranging sentence structure'''. | In Toaq, the word {{t|nä}} is used to create so-called '''clefts'''. A cleft is a complex sentence that rearranges the contents of a simple sentence. In English, this is often used for emphasis (<i>It is <u>my purse</u> that they stole</i>). In Toaq, this functionality already lives in [[focus marker]]s, and so {{t|nä}} is primarily '''a tool for rearranging sentence structure'''. | ||
| Line 5: | Line 6: | ||
Imagine you’ve got a hefty noun phrase like <i>that one hammer my great-grandfather passed down to me</i> and you’d like to use it in a sentence. You really don’t want to put the enormous noun phrase in the middle of the sentence, like | Imagine you’ve got a hefty noun phrase like <i>that one hammer my great-grandfather passed down to me</i> and you’d like to use it in a sentence. You really don’t want to put the enormous noun phrase in the middle of the sentence, like | ||
<blockquote><poem> | <blockquote><poem> | ||
{{t|Choq jí {{orange|ké ujoq, ꝡë toeq do páopaopao jí hóa}} râo púchaq zûo, ꝡä tua poaq jí báq seoqkası da}} | {{t|Choq jí {{orange|ké ujoq, ꝡë toeq do páopaopao jí hóa,}} râo púchaq zûo, ꝡä tua poaq jí báq seoqkası da}} | ||
<i>I used {{orange|that one hammer my great-grandfather passed down to me}} yesterday to crack some walnuts open.</i> | <i>I used {{orange|that one hammer my great-grandfather had passed down to me}} yesterday to crack some walnuts open.</i> | ||
</poem></blockquote> | </poem></blockquote> | ||
You’ll notice that the remaining content of the sentence unwieldily maneuvers around the large noun phrase. It’s like it doesn’t even belong there any more. (This is known as a violation of [[right-branching]] – we’re putting a large thing in the center of the clause.) | You’ll notice that the remaining content of the sentence unwieldily maneuvers around the large noun phrase. It’s like it doesn’t even belong there any more. (This is known as a violation of [[right-branching]] – we’re putting a large thing in the center of the clause.) | ||
| Line 12: | Line 13: | ||
So why not move the noun phrase to the front? {{t|nä}} does just that: | So why not move the noun phrase to the front? {{t|nä}} does just that: | ||
<blockquote><poem> | <blockquote><poem> | ||
{{t|<u>{{green|Ké ujoq, ꝡë toeq do páopaopao jí hóa}} nä</u> choq jí {{green|hóa}} râo púchaq zûo, ꝡä tua poaq jí báq seoqkası da}} | {{t|<u>{{green|Ké ujoq, ꝡë toeq do páopaopao jí hóa,}} nä</u> choq jí {{green|hóa}} râo púchaq zûo, ꝡä tua poaq jí báq seoqkası da}} | ||
<i>{{green|That one hammer my great-grandfather passed down to me}}, I used {{green|it}} yesterday to crack some walnuts open.</i> | <i>{{green|That one hammer my great-grandfather had passed down to me}}, I used {{green|it}} yesterday to crack some walnuts open.</i> | ||
</poem></blockquote> | </poem></blockquote> | ||
The {{t|nä}}-phrase (underlined) sits comfortably in the corner of the clause. Elsewhere, we’re able to refer back to it using {{t|{{green|hóa}}}}. In this sense, the thing after {{t|nä}} serves the role of a [[relative clause]] which describes the fronted noun phrase. | The {{t|nä}}-phrase (underlined) sits comfortably in the corner of the clause. Elsewhere, we’re able to refer back to it using {{t|{{green|hóa}}}}. In this sense, the thing after {{t|nä}} serves the role of a [[relative clause]] which describes the fronted noun phrase. | ||
| Line 23: | Line 24: | ||
<blockquote><poem> | <blockquote><poem> | ||
{{t|{{green|Ꝡä tua shaı hóaq nháo lóebeaq dûı chuı jôro}}, nä tua dua nháo sía poq, ꝡä mala faq {{green|hóa}}.}} | {{t|{{green|Ꝡä tua shaı hóaq nháo lóebeaq dûı chuı jôro}}, nä tua dua nháo sía poq, ꝡä mala faq {{green|hóa}}.}} | ||
<i>{{green|That he’d sinned by snuffing the candles out prematurely}}, he let nobody know {{green|such a thing}} ever happened.</i> | <i>{{green|That he’d sinned by snuffing the candles out prematurely}}, he let nobody know {{green|such a thing}} had ever happened.</i> | ||
</poem></blockquote> | </poem></blockquote> | ||
| Line 50: | Line 51: | ||
</poem></blockquote> | </poem></blockquote> | ||
You can think of {{t|nä}} as serving the role of the comma in the English translation. | You can think of {{t|nä}} as serving the role of the comma in the English translation. | ||