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Simple Focus: Difference between revisions
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# Attaching a focus prefix {{t|ku-}} to a single word ''always'' focuses just that word. | # Attaching a focus prefix {{t|ku-}} to a single word ''always'' focuses just that word. | ||
# Placing a focus word {{t|kú}} before a head ''always'' focuses the whole [[phrase]] that it projects. | # Placing a focus word {{t|kú}} before a head ''always'' focuses the whole [[phrase]] that it projects. | ||
#* | #* That is: {{t|kú}} before a determiner (D) focuses the DP, {{t|kú}} before a complementizer (C) focuses the CP… | ||
#* Basically, this means {{t|kú <u>sá hao</u>}} and {{t|kú <u>râo níchaq</u>}} and {{t|kú <u>ꝡä nuo jí</u>}} focus that whole underlined constituent. | |||
# There is no tone-stealing. You'll never see {{t|kû}} or {{t|kü}} or {{t|ku}}. | # There is no tone-stealing. You'll never see {{t|kû}} or {{t|kü}} or {{t|ku}}. | ||
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If we follow the rule about {{t|kú}} to its logical conclusion, we end up with {{t|kú verb}} meaning something a little surprising — it's probably unintuitive if you don't know Toaq [[syntax]]. | If we follow the rule about {{t|kú}} to its logical conclusion, we end up with {{t|kú verb}} meaning something a little surprising — it's probably unintuitive if you don't know Toaq [[syntax]]. | ||
If {{t|kú D}} (determiner) focuses a DP (determiner phrase), and {{t|kú C}} (complementizer) focuses a CP (complementizer phrase), then logically {{t|kú V}} (verb) focuses a VP (verb phrase), which is a combination of verb and object that's usually disjoint in [[Deep_structure_and_surface_structure|surface-level]] Toaq. | |||
It's good to have | {{Example|Leo kú <u>rıatua</u> jí <u>héqma</u>.|I'm trying to '''''open the container'''''.<br><small>{{t|kú}} precedes the verb {{t|rıatua}}, so the VP {{t|rıatua … héqma}} is focused.</small>}} | ||
It's good to have ''some'' interpretation for this placement, but it might be better to limit the placement of {{t|kú}} to only those heads/phrases that have more obvious boundaries. | |||
== Footnotes == | == Footnotes == | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Proposals]] | ||