Schedule 76. StuTS

Reduplication is a common focus-related phenomenon found in many of the world’s languages. In Turkish, while much attention has been given to reduplication at the phonological level, word-level reduplication carries different properties and has different usage patterns.

In this talk, I will explore word-level reduplication in Turkish, particularly in declarative sentences and answers to questions. One striking feature is the role of the focus-sensitive question particle -mI, which interacts with reduplication in distinct ways. For instance, verb doubling in response to questions (e.g., ara-dı ara-dı "he DID call") signals verum focus, highlighting the truth of the proposition.

Following Holmberg (2015), I propose that reduplication in these contexts results from a spelled-out copy of FocP’s target, with ellipsis occurring below PolP. The presence of -mI in these constructions reinforces its function as a head of FocP, consistent with Kimper’s (2008) cross-linguistic analysis of reduplication as a focus strategy.

By examining both verb doubling and reduplication with predicative adjectives, I aim to offer a unified analysis of focus-related reduplication in Turkish, contributing to broader discussions on the interface between focus and questions as well as the status of verum focus.