On the clausal syntax of Dschang predicate focus doubling

This paper investigates the syntax of Predicate Focus Doubling (PFD) in Dschang, a Grassfields Bantu language of Cameroon. PFD is similar to the well-known predicate cleft construction found in a number of other West African languages, because it encodes verbal focus and involves two instances of the verb. However, unlike the predicate cleft construction, PFD involves the right clausal edge, not the left. Through analyzing PFD, we propose that Dschang provides strong crosslinguistic support for the existence of a low focus position near the vP edge. We further argue that the surface word order in the PFD construction is derived by head movement of the verb (understood as copying) to the low focus position. Finally, we provide evidence that there is movement of a constituent, containing minimally the verb and direct object, to a position higher than that of the copy of the verb in low focus.