Gabriel Martínez

This paper analyzes the enclitic _=mi_ in Saraguro Kichwa (a severely endangered language spoken in Saraguro, Ecuador) in matrix declarative clauses in an approach that integrates the broader Quechuan language family. Based on original fieldwork that documents an otherwise undocumented variety of Kichwa, I make three novel empirical observations: (i) I provide evidence suggesting that _=mi_ signals verum, (ii) I show that using _=mi_ is possible to confirm the truth of the scope proposition when following up a sentence with a reportative (but not a direct) evidential, and (iii) I show that _=mi_ surfaces in contrastive (corrective) uses. I make a proposal where _=mi_ is analyzed as a focus marker, which is likened to focus-sensitive items such as _only_. I further broaden the discussion of _=mi_ to the Quechuan family, showing that integration with prior discourse is the common feature across the family. The discussion bears on general debates of how to best analyze verum and contrast strategies cross-linguistically by introducing a novel strategy instantiated by _=mi_ in that analyzing this element requires the integration of elements of both focus (alternative semantics) and discourse management (sensitivity to the question under discussion).