Verum focus is verum, not focus: Cross-linguistic evidence
The accent pattern known as verum focus is commonly understood as an ordinary alternative focus on the truth of a proposition. This standard view, which we call the focus accent thesis (FAT), can be contrasted with the lexical operator thesis (LOT), according to which the accent pattern that looks l...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:9484fd3aa4764fcd96c60ec806408e39 2024-09-15T18:39:30+00:00 Verum focus is verum, not focus: Cross-linguistic evidence Daniel Gutzmann Katharina Hartmann Lisa Matthewson 2020-06-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5334/gjgl.347 https://doaj.org/article/9484fd3aa4764fcd96c60ec806408e39 EN eng Open Library of Humanities https://www.glossa-journal.org/article/id/5299/ https://www.glossa-journal.org/article/5299/galley/12872/download/ https://doaj.org/toc/2397-1835 2397-1835 doi:10.5334/gjgl.347 https://doaj.org/article/9484fd3aa4764fcd96c60ec806408e39 Glossa, Vol 5, Iss 1 (2020) verum focus emphasis accent question under discussion Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar P101-410 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5334/gjgl.347 2024-08-05T17:49:10Z The accent pattern known as verum focus is commonly understood as an ordinary alternative focus on the truth of a proposition. This standard view, which we call the focus accent thesis (FAT), can be contrasted with the lexical operator thesis (LOT), according to which the accent pattern that looks like focus in languages like German or English is actually not an instance of focus marking, but realizes a lexical verum predicate, whose function is to relate the current proposition to a question under discussion. Although it is hard to distinguish between the FAT and the LOT on the basis of German or English, a broader cross-linguistic perspective seems to favor the LOT. Drawing from fieldwork on Tsimshianic (Gitksan) and Chadic (Bura, South Marghi), we first show that in none of these languages is verum realized in the same way that ordinary alternative focus is marked. This sheds initial doubt on the unity of verum and focus. Secondly, the FAT predicts that a language cannot have co-occuring verum and focus, if it does not allow multiple foci, and that a language should allow them to co-occur if it allows for multiple foci. Again, while it is hard to find counterexamples in German or English, some of the data from our cross-linguistic investigation favor the LOT. Article in Journal/Newspaper Tsimshian* Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Glossa: a journal of general linguistics 5 1 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
verum focus emphasis accent question under discussion Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar P101-410 |
spellingShingle |
verum focus emphasis accent question under discussion Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar P101-410 Daniel Gutzmann Katharina Hartmann Lisa Matthewson Verum focus is verum, not focus: Cross-linguistic evidence |
topic_facet |
verum focus emphasis accent question under discussion Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar P101-410 |
description |
The accent pattern known as verum focus is commonly understood as an ordinary alternative focus on the truth of a proposition. This standard view, which we call the focus accent thesis (FAT), can be contrasted with the lexical operator thesis (LOT), according to which the accent pattern that looks like focus in languages like German or English is actually not an instance of focus marking, but realizes a lexical verum predicate, whose function is to relate the current proposition to a question under discussion. Although it is hard to distinguish between the FAT and the LOT on the basis of German or English, a broader cross-linguistic perspective seems to favor the LOT. Drawing from fieldwork on Tsimshianic (Gitksan) and Chadic (Bura, South Marghi), we first show that in none of these languages is verum realized in the same way that ordinary alternative focus is marked. This sheds initial doubt on the unity of verum and focus. Secondly, the FAT predicts that a language cannot have co-occuring verum and focus, if it does not allow multiple foci, and that a language should allow them to co-occur if it allows for multiple foci. Again, while it is hard to find counterexamples in German or English, some of the data from our cross-linguistic investigation favor the LOT. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Daniel Gutzmann Katharina Hartmann Lisa Matthewson |
author_facet |
Daniel Gutzmann Katharina Hartmann Lisa Matthewson |
author_sort |
Daniel Gutzmann |
title |
Verum focus is verum, not focus: Cross-linguistic evidence |
title_short |
Verum focus is verum, not focus: Cross-linguistic evidence |
title_full |
Verum focus is verum, not focus: Cross-linguistic evidence |
title_fullStr |
Verum focus is verum, not focus: Cross-linguistic evidence |
title_full_unstemmed |
Verum focus is verum, not focus: Cross-linguistic evidence |
title_sort |
verum focus is verum, not focus: cross-linguistic evidence |
publisher |
Open Library of Humanities |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5334/gjgl.347 https://doaj.org/article/9484fd3aa4764fcd96c60ec806408e39 |
genre |
Tsimshian* |
genre_facet |
Tsimshian* |
op_source |
Glossa, Vol 5, Iss 1 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://www.glossa-journal.org/article/id/5299/ https://www.glossa-journal.org/article/5299/galley/12872/download/ https://doaj.org/toc/2397-1835 2397-1835 doi:10.5334/gjgl.347 https://doaj.org/article/9484fd3aa4764fcd96c60ec806408e39 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5334/gjgl.347 |
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Glossa: a journal of general linguistics |
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5 |
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1 |
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1810483855972368384 |