Report With pé + Focus With ni

Highlighting an Embedded Choice

Level 6

Reporting subject + sọ pé + selected constituent + ni + embedded clause.

How It Works

Pé introduces reported content that can contain its own ni construction. Place the selected constituent after pé when the selection belongs inside the report. In Délé sọ pé Títí ni ó ra ìwé, Délé reports and Títí is the selected buyer. The embedded subject pronoun ó resumes Títí.

With object focus, the embedded subject follows ni. Compare Títí ni ó ra ìwé, selecting the buyer, with Ìwé ni Títí rà, selecting the item. Preserve object-focus verb tone and do not repeat the selected noun as an ordinary object in this frame. Verbs gain no person or number endings. Yé Mi documents reported ni constructions; the Yoruba dependency guide documents focus syntax; these examples combine those supported patterns. Reporting attributes a claim to its source without independently establishing its truth.

Examples (3)

  1. Délé sọ pé Títí ni ó ra ìwé.

    Délé said that it was Títí who bought a book.

    Ó resumes Títí inside the reported clause.

  2. Títí sọ pé Délé ni ó gbé bàtà wá.

    Títí said that it was Délé who brought the shoes.

    The report selects the embedded actor.

  3. Olú sọ pé aṣọ ni Délé rà.

    Olú said that it was cloth that Délé bought.

    Aṣọ is the embedded focused object; Délé remains the buyer.

How It Connects

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Report With pé + Focus With niLevel 6Highlighting an Embedded Choice

Learn This First

Place the focus construction inside the reported content after pé.