jeff_l
(Jeff_L)
#1
616 11 Discourse-functional particles and topicalization
(691) a. aeddobe-r masjrasd, maessan
be.able.Reslt-lSgS speak. VblN, but
t-e-raere, [wasrAtast aeddobe-γ]
Fe-Sg-read.VblN [Neg-\3FeSgO be.able.PerfN-lSgS]
Ί can speak (e.g. French), but as for reading [topic], I can't do
it.'
b. άζζαΐ dar [waer-\t aeddobe-γ]
run.VblN too [Neg-\3MaSgO be.able.PerfN-lSgS]
'Running too [topic], I can't do it.' [K]
(i.e. Ί can't run either.')
Another, more explicit topicalization construction, involving a topic
switch, is exemplified by (692).
(692) a-w-a i-qqael-aen
Dem-Ma-Dem.Sg 3MaSgS-go.back.Reslt-Partpl.MaSg
i-rajj-aen w-i η i-lld-\d
Pl-valley-MaPl Ma-Dem.Pl Poss 3MaSgS-exist-\Centrip
[y ün-an],...
[Dat well-MaPl],...
'With regard to the dune valleys that are on this side of the wells,...'
Here -vqqvl- 'go back to' (also 'become') occurs in a participial phrase,
literally "what goes back (to...)," free translation 'with regard to' or 'as for'.
For the 'this side of X' construction in (692) see §9.3.
11.2 Emphatics
Emphatic particles are not especially common in Tamashek discourse.
11.2.1 Clause- or phrase-final ya
A clause-final particle yd (cf. Koyra Chiini yaa) can be used to insist on the
truth of a statement. It is sometimes heard as "accented" but this may be
emphatic stress rather than grammatical accent.
(693) sjle-γ yd
go.PerfP-lSgS Emph
'(Yes) I did go!'
This particle can also be used in yes-no questions, where it again focuses
on the truth of the statement.
