Kiembu, a Bantu language of central Kenya, has two morphemes nĩ and kwa which are used to mark different types of focus. In this thesis, I investigate the functions of these two focus markers,...Show moreKiembu, a Bantu language of central Kenya, has two morphemes nĩ and kwa which are used to mark different types of focus. In this thesis, I investigate the functions of these two focus markers, especially concentrating on the ways they are used to mark predicate-centered focus. I give a description of the different functions of the two morphemes based on data from my own field research, and I also propose a syntactic analysis of focus in Kiembu and briefly discuss how the focus marker kwa may have developed from an earlier focus construction.Show less
Using a comparative typological method, this work investigates focus in Jamaican Creole and a selection of its West African substrates, in an attempt to determine the extent to which these...Show moreUsing a comparative typological method, this work investigates focus in Jamaican Creole and a selection of its West African substrates, in an attempt to determine the extent to which these substrate languages have influenced JC focus structures. This paper systematically analyses the typological features of JC focus structures and then compares them with those of the selected substrates, before reaching a conclusion about which substrate has had the most significant influence.Show less
