On the Category of <<na>> in Dagara: a focus marker or/and an affirmative marker?

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Résumé

This paper proposes a reanalysis of the expression "na" in Dagara, which is sometimes analyzed as a focus marker. It is assumed in the literature that the morpheme "na" is a focus marker and that its syntactic position depends on what is focused in the sentence. According to some researchers, when "na" is used to focus a predicate, it occurs in a post-verbal position. On the other hand, when it is used to focus an argument or an adjunct, it occurs in a peripheral position. In this paper, I argue that the post-verbal "na" should not be regarded as a focus marker and that it is an affirmative marker that occupies the head of Polarity Phrase (ΣP).

Mots-clés

Dagara, West African languages, focus marker, affirmative marker, Polarity Phrase