Complex Focus Versus Double Focus

Authors

  • Kata Balogh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2006.v10i1.672

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to point out several problems with the semantic analysis of Hungarian focus interpretation and ‘only’. For current semantic analyses the interpretation of Hungarian identificational/exhaustive focus and ‘only’ is problematic, since in classical semantic analyses ‘only’ is identified with an exhaustivity operator. In this paper I will discuss multiple focus constructions and question-answer pairs in Hungarian to show that such a view cannot be applied to Hungarian exhaustive focus. Next to this I will discuss possible interpretations of Hungarian sentences containing multiple prosodic foci: complex focus versus double focus. My claim is that in order to interpret multiple focus (in Hungar- ian) we have to take into consideration the different intonation patterns, the occurrence of ‘only’, and the syntactic structure as well.

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Published

2019-08-15

How to Cite

Balogh, K. (2019). Complex Focus Versus Double Focus. Proceedings of Sinn Und Bedeutung, 10(1), 29–42. https://doi.org/10.18148/sub/2006.v10i1.672