Tag. ay

[potetjp]

In Tagalog, any in-focus item can be fronted. If such is the case it is
followed by the anteposer _ay_.

e.g. Binilí niyá ang báhay niná Huwán dáhil sa .... > Ang báhay niná Huwán
ay binilí niyá dáhil sa ...
/bought/he/the (IN-FOCUS particle)/house/of-pers.-pl./Juan/because of .../ >
/the/house/ ...
"He has bought the house of John and his family because of ..."

Are there other Austronesian languages in which this particle or a similar
one exists?

Jean-Paul G. POTET