On reduced wh-questions in Dagara

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Résumé

This article provides novel data involving reduced wh-questions in Dagara. The language exhibits some important properties, among which are the availability of the movement and the in-situ option for wh-phrases in wh-questions and the obligatory presence of the focus marker accompanying remnant wh-phrases. We propose and argue for an analysis in terms of overt movement of wh-phrases and ellipsis of a clausal constituent à la what has been called sluicing. We also observe that reduced questions in Dagara exhibit island repair effects. As a theoretical consequence, we point out that they weaken one of the supporting arguments for the so-called in-situ analysis of sluiced clauses.

Mots-clés

Dagara; ellipsis; sluicing; reduced wh-questions; focus phrase; island repair