A Study of Noun Phrase Focus in Fulfulde: The Case Study of Adamawa Dialect

• 作者: Adamu Abubakar Muhammad Akisani Y.Samaila Bashir Usman Idris Muhammad Bello
• 来源期刊: 语言与符号学研究
• 学科: 文学
• 关键词: Adamawa DIALECT Fulfulde FOCUS MARKERS NOUN PHRASE FOCUS PRINCIPLES and parameters theory
• 年，卷（期）: 2019,（2）
• 页码范围: 76-100
• 页数: 25页
• 分类号: H815

摘要

Focus constructions are syntactically rich aspects of Fulfulde grammar. This paper aims at investigating the nature of noun phrase(NP) focus in Fulfulde with particular reference to Adamawa dialect. The study employed two methodological techniques for data collection: observation and oral interview. These techniques were used in collecting data from different categories of native speakers. The Principles and Parameters theory was adopted as the theoretical framework for data analysis in the study. The study shows that noun phrase NP focus in Adamawa dialect of Fulfulde involves movement of the focused element which is accompanied with a focus marker(FM). The study has identified five different FMs that are commonly used in the dialect depending on the semantic requirement. They are: on, ni, faa, dey and tan.