Abstract
Comparative study of dialects invariably reveals interesting similarities and differences in the dialects of a language. In this regard, so much differences have been reported in the grammatical structure of the dialects of different languages that include Yorùbá. Such reports with respect to Yorùbá have not only enriched our understanding of the grammar of the language, they have also helped in clarifying controversial and/or obscure issues in the language. The present paper investigates the nature of focus construction in two dialects of Yorùbá language: Mọ̀bà and Mọ́yẹ̀ẹ with particular attention to the coding of focusing. The study investigates constituents that can be moved to effect focus construction, the focus markers, the overt and covert nature of the markers, and some phonological issues arising from the coding. The paper is descriptive in orientation, it reveals a number of linguistic variations in coding focusing in the two dialects. The paper contributes to existing literature in the field of Yorùbá dialectology.
Keywords
Main Subjects