A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

642 12 Extraction processes

gloss it (crudely) as 'time'. The following 1 is the postnominal Proximate

deictic particle (§4.3.3), not a demonstrative pronoun acting as the internal

head of the relative.

(742) har [Iket i

until [time Prox

jaerraew-aen t-asddalae-t-t]

obtain.LoImpfP-3MaPlS Fe-greenness-Fe-FeSg]

'until (such time as) they get some greenery (ground vegetation)'.

12.2 Focalization

Focalization involves highlighting (or interrogating) the choice of one element

in a clause, the remainder being backgrounded (presupposed or at least not in

play). Syntactic focalization in Tamashek is limited to NPs (including

adverbials and VblN's).

The focalized constituent is fronted to sentence-initial position. It is

normally followed by the morpheme a, interpretable as a minimal

demonstrative form but here labeled "Foc[us]." Any clitics that may be

present are hosted by the Foe morpheme, or if the latter is absent they are

hosted by the focalized NP. The remainder of the clause follows. The ablaut

reductions of Resit and LoImpfP verbs seen in definite relative clauses do not

apply to focalization, in spite of a certain syntactic similarity between the two.

Therefore, if the verb is Resit or LoImpfP, it occurs with its full ablaut

structure and normal accentuation, as in simple main clauses.

The pragmatics of focalization are illustrated in (743). The first clause

(negative) is unfocalized. The second clause, which specifies the real object of

desire, is focalized.

(743) war 1-rha t-afva-t-t,

Neg 3MaSgS-want.PerfN Fe-rice-Fe-FeSg,

l-s-αη [a i-rha]

Pl-meat-MaPl [Foe 3MaSgS-want.Reslt]

'He doesn't want rice, it's meat [focus] that he wants.'

In (743), only the second clause has a focalized NP. However, one can also
express the same type of sense with two parallel clauses, each having a
focalized NP. In this event, the first clause usually begins with the external
negation waedder or variant 'it is not (that...)'. This phrasing ensures that the
entire first clause, including its focalized constituent, is clearly in the scope of
the negation.