Differential Object Marking and Topicality in Tigrinya

Various researchers have used coding strategies such word order, case and pronominal marking to predict asymmetries between different object functions and/or information structure roles such as topics and foci. Moreover, some studies have also suggested that there exists a correlation between different grammatical functions and information structure roles. This paper analyzes object marking in double object construction in Tigrinya. Tigrinya employs word order, case and pronominal marking for coding grammatical functions and information structure roles. Differential marking of objects depends on definiteness/specificity which simultaneously triggers case and pronominal marking. In Tigrinya this double marking strategy of definite objects implies two interdependent motivations for differential object marking. Case marking is employed to contrast definite object functions with subjects, or in other words, to create a resemblance between different object functions. Whereas pronominal marking is employed to create similarity in information structure roles between topical objects and topical subjects. Moreover, based on the pattern that applicative constructions in Tigrinya reveal, this paper argues that there is no correlation between the primary object (OBJ) and secondary object (OBJ◊), i.e. the core object functions attested in LFG (Lexical Functional Grammar), and the topic and focus information structure roles. Since languages vary as to which object: the base or the applied object, reveals more primary object properties, accordingly, this variation is reflected by which object associates with which information structure role.