Focus in Logba

Abstract

This paper describes focusing strategies in Logba, a Na-Togo Kwa language. Logba, like other Kwa languages fronts a constituent that is to be focused. In addition, the constituent is morphologically marked. In the variety spoken in Alakpeti, the commercial centre of Logba, the morphological marker for the term focus constituents is ká. There is an equivalent construction in the Tota dialect for argument focus in which an independent pronoun comes after the fronted NP. Moreover, the position in the clause where the focused constituent occurs varies depending on the category of the constituent that is focused. Term constituents (NPs and AdvPs) have a pre-subject focus position while for predicate focus; the bare form of the verb is placed at the VP initial position, after the subject constituent. This is unlike the situation that has been reported for other languages that use verb focus. I will describe the types of constituents that can be focused and explore any consequences for clause structure that may be associated with ex-situ focus constructions