FOCUSING IN GHÒTÙỌ̀, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Focusing, a syntactic process, places communicative prominence on different constituents of the sentence. The Edoid group of languages is distinguished by the prevalence of focusing as strategy for determining information structure. Studies on Ghòtùọ̀, an Edoid language, have concentrated on the sound system, classification and comparative studies with little attention given to focusing. This study was, therefore, designed to investigate the activation of focus construction in Ghòtùọ̀ with a view to describing focus markers, focusable constituents, derivations and interactions of focusing with other projections like the interrogative. Chomsky’s Minimalist Program was adopted as framework. Ethnographic design was used. Twenty four resident native speakers between the ages of fifty and seventy-nine, two from each of the twelve quarters of Ghòtùọ̀, Owan North Local Government Area of Edo State, were purposively selected. Primary data were elicited through oral interview guided by Ibadan Syntactic Paradigms and Ibadan 400 Wordlist, while secondary data were sourced from primers and recorded audio clips. Data were subjected to inter-linear glossing, syntactic and qualitative analysis. Ghòtùọ̀ has one optional focus marker ‘ọ́nhi’, whose overt realisation contrasts the focused item from other constituent in the contruction. Focusable constituents are categorised into subject determiner phrase, object determiner phrase, object of preposition, prepositional phrase, Verb phrase (VP) and emphatic pronoun. The non-focusable constituent is an adjectival phrase. Focusable and non-focusable constituents are identified with binary values [+ or -] emphasis and focus features. Constituents with [+emphasis] and [+focus] can be processed and preposed from non-focus to focus-licensing positions. Focus derivation involves two probes: emphasis and focus. Focused constituent is preposed clause initially to the specifier of Emphasis Phrase to check [+emphasis] licensing ForceP domain, and further moves to specifier of Focus Phrase to check focus. In object focusing, contrastive focus is licensed, targeting VP-Periphery and clausal periphery. Ghòtùọ̀ verb focus involves verbal duplication and fronting clause initially. Two types of chains derived from verbal position are Verb (V)-movement and Verb bar (VI)-movement chain. V-movement chain corresponds to argument (A)-movement chain which is licensed whenever the verb targets Tense-Agreement head. VI-movement chain is induced through movement to the specifier in ForceP. Hence, argument bar (AI)/VI antecedent can bind only AI/VI copies clause internally and not vice versa. Focus interacts with emphatic and interrogative heads obligatorily, and with topic optionally. Constituents with [+emphasis] open ForceP domain for focus. Topic constructions involve ‘given information’and ‘comment’. In Topic-Focus interaction, topic’s comment changes to focus ‘background information’; topic is projected higher than focus. Constituent with [+focus] is added to that with [+interrogative] in Yes-No and content questions to derive new information. In Ghòtùọ̀, focusing plays a significant role in the understanding of speaker’s coding of constituents as new or given information in the ForceP. Decoding discourse information hinges more on the constituents’ information structural properties.