Spotlight / Focus
Focus
Emphasis
Cleft
Contrastive focus
What is the most important new information?
booster
intermediate
Information structure
Signification
The part of the message that carries the main emphasis, contrast, correction, or answer to the current question.
Comment le repérer
Ask which part would be stressed or corrected in context.
Exemples
Mots
only|even|it was|not X but Y
Expressions
it was Anna who|ANNA did it|only Peter
Phrase
Anna bought the book, not Peter.
Visual guide
Basic shape
Message = background + focus Who bought the book? background: bought the book FOCUS: Anna Anna bought the book. = Anna, not Peter
Compare shape
Same focus, many shapes Stress: ANNA did it Cleft: it was Anna who... Particle: only Peter Contrast: not X but Y Word order/focus slot may mark it Task: find the spotlight
Vue par langue
Dans votre langue
French (standard)
Présence
strong
Importance
Focus is expressed by stress, cleft constructions, particles, or fronting/dislocation.
C’est Anna qui a acheté le livre.
It is Anna who bought the book.
Dans la langue d’apprentissage
Bengali (standard)
Présence
strong
Difficulté
Focus can be shown by stress, word order and particles such as -ই.
আমি-ই কাজটা করেছি।
I myself did the work.
Difficulté fréquente
Learners may miss the strong exclusive/corrective force of -ই.
Same block, different coding
Both languages use this block strongly, but they signal it differently. Focus on form changes, not only meaning.