An unusual cleft construction in Lakhota (Siouan, North America)

Abstract

This paper investigates a construction in Lakhota (Siouan, North America) to ascertain whether it has the properties of a cleft construction. The construction in question is marked by čha, a word-form that has numerous functions in the grammar. It is shown that the čha-construction in question has the properties of a cleft construction, even though the distribution of the focussed and presupposed material is the opposite of that in the usual cleft constructions. It is suggested that it is an inverted cleft construction.