Predicate focus with a continued topic Identificational articulation argument focus Adverbial clauses

However, the topic is not always the logical subject. At times the new topic constituent is preposed from the objectcomplement position. In the text corpus the majority of examples of constituents that have been preposed from the objectcomplement position signal a switch topic. 50 Inheritance 12–13 A-ka-ghamb-a igha sengʼombe seno së-rë-ngë ka hano mu-ush-e 3 S S- NARR -say- FV COMP 10.cows 10. DEM _ PROX 10-be- HAB home 16. DEM _ PROX 3 SG -come- SBJ oko-haan-a bhano bha-rë-ngë yeeka hano na oora uwa mo-maghinga INF -give- FV 2. DEM _ PROX 3 PL -be- HAB home 16. DEM _ PROX and 1. DEM _ DIST 1. ASS 18. LOC -6.island Kasi oora uwa Bhoraaya mu-ush-e ko-mo-haan-a but 1. DEM _ DIST 1. ASS Europe 3 SG -come- SBJ 17. INF -3 SG -give- FV eketabho keno nkyo mö-tëghëëyë 7.book 7. DEM _ PROX 7. EMPH 3 SG -leave: APPL : ANT ‘He said, “These cows that are at home here, come and give them to the people at home and the one in the islands. But that one in Europe, come and give him this book I have left him.’’ ’ In example 50 the phrase sengʼombe seno sërëngë ka hano ‘these cows that are at home here’ and oora uwa Bhoraaya ‘the one in Europe’ are the new topic constituents and have both been preposed from the objectcomplement position.

6.4 Predicate focus with a continued topic

When the topic is a grammatical subject and is the same as the previous topic, i.e., a continued topic, the usual way to refer to that topic is through the subject prefix on the verb. In other words, continued topics do not need to be expressed lexically. For example: 51 Water 11–12a a-ka-ghend-a igho a-ka-kamb-a a-ka-hik-a 3 SG - NARR -walk- FV thus 3 SG - NARR -conclude- FV 3 SG - NARR -arrive- FV A-ka-simy-a ökö-rëëty-a ghwiki igha... 3 SG - NARR -start- FV INF -sing- FV again COMP ‘She walked in this way until she arrived. She began to sing...’ In Suba-Simbiti it is not common for a continued topic to be expressed lexically unless it is at the start of a new paragraph or following a disruption in the text, such as direct speech.

6.5 Identificational articulation argument focus

Suba-Simbiti can use the focus marker ni–, which attaches to a noun to show argument focus. Example 52 occurs in the orientation section of the story “Origin.” The narrator has already introduced the two major participants and is explaining the work that each one does. The listener is told that Mohaasha, one of the major participants, doesn’t know how to hunt. Then, in Origin 4 it is stated that fishing is the work that Mohaasha knows. 52 Origin 4 Omoremo ghono ya-a-many-irë nö 2 -bhötëghi ubhwa sinswë 3.work 3. REL 3 SG - PST -know- PROX FOC -14.fishing 14. ASS 10.fish ‘The work which he knew is fishing.’ The switch topic Omoremo ghono yaamanyirë ‘the work that he knew’, presumably being contrasted with the work that Mohaasha didn’t know, is identified by the use of the focus marker. 7 Adverbial clauses and relative clauses Adverbial clauses occur either at the beginning or at the end of a sentence, ‘outside’ the main clause, whereas relative clauses occur within another clause and provide information about a noun phrase.

7.1 Adverbial clauses

Adverbial clauses are dependent clauses that occur either at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. Clauses that function grammatically as the complement of the main verb are excluded from the analysis in this section. Adverbial clauses from “Inheritance” and “Buffalo” that occur before the main clause and after the main clause are listed in examples 53 and 54, respectively. 53 Before the main clause Inheritance 7a Hano akoroora akandekera ‘When he became sick’ Inheritance 16a Hano uwa Bhoraaya oora yaaghya ukuusha ‘When the one from Europe came’ Inheritance 21a Nyinkyo hano yaabhökirë ‘In the morning when he awoke’ Inheritance 23a Bhoona hano bhwakëëyë ‘Now when morning came’ Buffalo 4a Hano yaarëësyanga ‘While he was shepherding the herd’ Buffalo 6a Bhoono hano yaarëësyanga urusikö urwöndë ‘Now while he was shepherding one day’ Buffalo 16a Hano suwaabho yighuurë igho ‘When their father heard this’ Buffalo 17a Hano yaaghëëyë ‘When he had gone’ 54 After the main clause Buffalo 12b akakamba akaghemaaha eranywa amanshë ko-rotare ‘until he saw it drinking water at the rock’ From these examples, it is evident that all of the adverbial clauses that appear before the main clauses function as temporal points of departure. Furthermore, in these two narratives the adverbial clause that occurs at the end of clauses, after the main verb, expresses the time at which an event was completed Buffalo 12b.

7.2 Relative clauses