Multiple Topic, One Focus?

The paper argues against the assumption that in languages with structural focus, there can be several topics but only one focus per clause. The focus projection can also recur--however, because of cyclic V movement through the intermediate F positions into the highest F, only the highest focus precedes the verb. Three Hungarian constructions are analyzed in which the presence of a 2nd focus operator is proved by independent syntactic evidence. The in-situ analysis of the 2nd, postverbal focus is excluded on the basis that its scope corresponds to its S-structure position. Finally, it is shown that the recurring FPs can be separated by intervening TopP and QP projections, i.e., the whole left periphery of the Hungarian sentence is, in fact, recursive.