Focus in Limbum

In this paper, we discuss the realization of focus in Limbum (Grassfields Bantu,
Cameroon), a language which shows a so-far unattested pattern of focus mark-
ing, where two distinct focus constructions are realized by two different particles,
á and bá, which express information focus on the one hand and contrastive fo-
cus on the other. Strikingly, the former is realized by a structurally more complex
construction (particle + fronting) – the inverse pattern of what is attested cross-
linguistically (Fiedler et al. 2010; Skopeteas & Fanselow 2009). A biclausal cleft
structure underlying the á strategy can be argued to be implausible. Instead, we
adopt a Q/F particle analysis (Cable 2010) which proposes the existence of a par-
ticle independent of a higher functional head mediating between that head and
the focused phrase. Limbum provides overt evidence for both, the head and the
particle.