Recursion of FocP in Malayalam

This paper attempts to look into Malayalam where both Identificational Focus and Information Focus are overtly represented. With the help of diagnostic tests for exhaustivity the paper argues that clefts in the language encode Exhaustive Identificational Focus. It has been shown by Jayaseelan (2001) that there is a Focus position above vP and below IP. It is argued here that while the language encodes Information Focus in this preverbal lower Focus position, Exhaustive Focus involves a higher C- level Focus position, thus manifesting different types of Focus in different domains. Keywords: Focus; recursion; exhaustivity; new information