Alternative questions affirmative–negated Content questions

18.1.3 Alternative questions affirmative–negated

This type of alternative question in Lhomi consists of two clauses. The questioner puts forward a question and the same question in negated form. The conjunction na ‘or’ conjoins these two clauses. Actually the latter question may be optionally omitted in which case the conjunction na signals the alternative which is left out. Consider the following examples. 18.8 khok-ki t ɕha sep=pa na mat-sep=pa? 2SG-ERG chicken kill-NMLZ;Q or NEG-kill-NMLZ;Q ‘Did you kill a chicken or did you not kill?’ 18.9 gott-e t ɕha ses- soŋ=a na mat-ses-soŋ=a? 3SG-ERG chicken kill-PST.VIS=Q or NEG-kill-PST.VIS=Q ‘Did he kill a chicken or did he not kill?’ 18.10 khøt jampu-la ɖo-ken na mit-ɖo-ken? 2SG Kathmandu-DAT go-NMLZ;CONJ.Q or NEG-NMLZ;CONJ.Q ‘Do you go to Kathmandu or do you not go?’ 18.11 khøt gara him=pa na mem=pa? 2SG blacksmith COP.EXP=Q or NEG.COP.EXP=Q ‘Are you a blacksmith or are you not?’ The following example illustrates an alternative question in which the negated part is left out and the particle na signals that it is an alternative question question markers and the particle are underlined. 18.12 aku pekma-la d ʑa tɕik aku sonol-la dʑa tɕik aku dʑen uncle pekma-DAT hundred one uncle sonon-DAT hundred one uncle d ʑen thompu-la d ʑapa ŋii ha na kujøn nuŋ thompu-la hundred two now or payment little.bit ʈhaa-køp=pa na? TE4 become-PROG;EXP=Q or ‘One hundred to uncle Pekma, one hundred to uncle Sonon, two hundred to uncle Jyen Thompu, is it too little for you or…?’ Speaker is paying the compensation to all lamas who have participated in the rituals for his house dedication. He is addressing the lamas with this elliptic alternative question. The answer comes in the next sentence.

18.1.4 Content questions

The content questions make use of the question words like khan ʈa ‘what’, khanʈa-la ‘why’, kha-la ‘where to’, kha-ni ‘where from’, kha-tu ‘where in’, su ‘who’, s- ʏ ‘whose’, ‘su-la ‘to whom’, nam ‘when’. These question words are an additional constituent of a clause. The question clitic is the same as in alternative questions. There are more question words listed in section 3.5.3 on interrogative pronouns. Consider the following examples the question words and markers are underlined. 18.13 kha-la ɖo-ken where-DAT go-NMLZ;CONJ.Q ‘Where are you going?’ It is the conjunct marker that marks this as a second person question though there is no pronoun or address term to make it explicit. This is a common greeting on a trail when meeting someone. 18.14 khøt khan ʈa tɕhik-køp=pak 2SG what do;VBZR-PROG;EXP=Q ‘What are you doing?’ Progressive in Lhomi means that a person is in process of some activity. 18.15 kheta hi-ko s- ʏ khur-tuk=ka load this-head who-ERG carry-PRF.VIS=Q ‘Who has carried this load?’ Speaker sees the load in the destination but does not know who has carried it. This is what I have elsewhere called perfect of results. 18.16 khit mimaŋ khajet khanʈa-la pupu mit-so-ken TE46 2PL people plural what-DAT pupu NEG-raise.up-NMLZ;CONJ.Q ‘You people, why don’t you placate Pupu?’ Speaker is rebuking the villagers for not taking part in a ritual that would appease the village god called Pupu. This is actually a rhetorical question, a reprimand. Table 18.2. Summary of interrogatives and negated interrogatives for existential and equative copular verbs Interrogative Negated interrogative Existential copulas or auxiliaries jøp=pa jøk-ken bek=ka duk=ka jøp-pa bek=ka mip=pa mip-pa bek=ka min-tuk=ka mip-pa bek=ka Equative copulas or auxiliaries him=pa bek=ka him-pa bek=ka hiŋ-køp-pa bek=ka mem=pa mem-bek=ka mem-pa bek=ka meŋ-køp-pa bek=ka Table 18.2 only lists the interrogative forms of existential and equative copular verbs. They are explained more thoroughly elsewhere in this grammar.

18.1.5 Tag questions