On the Sentence-Focalizing Function of the Focalizing Conversion in Sahidic Coptic

An Analysis of Examples from the Gospel of Mark

Abstract

In his grammar of Sahidic Coptic, Bentley Layton analyzes the focalizing conversion (also called the "second tense") as a construction with a "focal point", i.e., a focalized constituent, and designates the following constituents as eligible focal points : 1) subject, 2) predicate, 3) suffixed direct object, 4) attributive element of a noun, and 5) adverbial complement. These focal points correspond to the argument focuses of Knud Lambrecht's classification of focus types.
　There is no doubt that Layton's analysis works well in general. However, there seem to be cases where the focus is assigned to the whole sentence rather than to a constituent. This suggests that the construction in question can take another focus type, i.e., the sentence focus of Lambrecht's classification. The purpose of this paper is to confirm the following hypothesis derived from the above observation :

Besides the argument-focalizing function, the focalizing conversion in Sahidic Coptic can serve a sentence-focalizing function, which is equivalent to that of the Middle Egyptian Spw-construction (cf. BSNESJ 49/1) and the Late Egyptian i.sḏm=f-construction (cf. BSNESJ 54 / 1). As discussed in the above papers, these correspond to the Japanese modal no da-construction.

　In order to test this hypothesis, several examples selected from the Sahidic version of the Gospel of Mark (PPalau Rib. Inv.-Nr. 182) are discussed from two points of view :

1) an analysis of the examples corresponding to jussive expressions in the Greek text (e.g., Mk 14, 15),
2) an analysis of the various uses resulting from the sentence-focalizing function.

The results of the examination indicate consistently that the hypothesis proposed in this paper has validity.