The expression of information structure in Cicopi

Abstract

This chapter describes the information structure in Cicopi, discussing and illustrating

the information-structural function of verbal inflection, word order, three types

of cleft constructions, two types of predicate doubling, and the choice of referent expression. Cicopi has three different forms to mark the present tense: conjoint, disjoint/habitual, and progressive; and the perfective is marked by -ile/-ite or to-. The conditions under which these are used seems to depend not just on constituentfinality and aspect, but also on focus and maybe evidentiality. There is no dedicated focus position in Cicopi and the three clefts, as well as subject inversion, are used to express various types of focus.