The expression of information structure in Rukiga

This chapter offers a systematic descriptive analysis of the various strategies thelanguage uses to express information structure in Rukiga. Notably, word orderis determined primarily by discourse roles, the augment on modifiers encodes arestrictive reading, and predicate doubling is associated with a contrastive interpretationamong other multiple readings. The particle -o functions as a contrastivetopic marker, which is often used in topic doubling constructions to reinforce agiven interpretation. Although there is a tonal remainder of the conjoint/disjointalternation, in Rukiga, it does not directly influence information structure. Rukigaalso uses three types of clefts, a common strategy used to express focus as in manyother languages of the world.