LINGUIST List 7.1374

Sat Oct 5 1996

Qs: Ethno list, Slavic and hist ling, PP focalizing

Editor for this issue: Ann Dizdar <dizdartam2000.tamu.edu>

Directory

1. "John Wheatley", Ethno list
2. obaumannstud.uni-frankfurt.de, Slavic and hist ling
3. cpeustgwdg.de, Qs: PP focalizing

Advice on signing up to the ethno list and org comm lists sought.
Thanks in advance.

JSW

Dear Subscribers!

I'm working on language change in slavic languages.
Therefore I want to know the addresses of other
linguistic servers which are dealing with these topics,
especially "historical or diachronic linguistics" and
"slavic linguistics".

Thanks in advance
Oliver

Dear Linguists,

(Middle) Egyptian is a VSO-language which has a special way of 
focalizing prepositional phrases: Transforming the verbal predicate 
into a specific form which can be called nominal.
jnj-j-st n-k (not focalized)
bring-I-it to-you = "I bring it to you"

jnn-j-st n-k (focalized)
bring(NOM)-I-it to-you = *"That I bring it, (is) to you" 
 = "It is to you that I bring it"

Note that word order remains unchanged.
This strategy is, however, restricted to focalizing adverb-like 
structures (including subordinate clauses). It is impossible to 
use it for focalizing objects, subjects etc. To do this, the focussed 
element has to undergo a leftward movement:
jn jw3 jnn-j n-k
(PART.) cow bring(NOM)-I to-you "It is a cow which I bring you"

I am looking for typological parallels of languages which have a 
specific morphological or syntactical means for focalizing a PP.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. I will put a summary on the 
list.



Carsten Peust
Seminar of Egyptology and Coptology
Goettingen
cpeustgwdg.de