Simple question Alternative questions affirmative–affirmative

18 Clause combining and sentence

18.1 Interrogative clausesentence

Givón 2001:291 lists one of the conventions that govern interrogative speech-acts: “The speaker’s communicative intent is to request and receive information from the hearer.” There are several kinds of interrogative constructions in Lhomi, including alternative questions, content questions, tag questions, etc. So-called rhetorical questions are dealt with in section 19.3. Table 18.1 shows the morphophonemic variation of the question enclitic =pa. Table 18.1. Morphophonemic variation of the question enclitic base form is -pa Phonemes preceding the question clitic Variants of question clitic m, n, øt, ʏt, it, or any root-final vowel =pak k, et =kak ŋ, p =ak Note that in this table the left hand column does not refer only to root-final phonemes but to whatever phoneme the question marker is attached to, e.g. des-soŋ-a. The following phonological assimilations take place: • Final øt, ʏt, it become øp, ʏp, ip. • Final n assimilates to homorganic nasal m. • Final et becomes ek. It is the vowel to which the question marker is attached that governs these changes. • The final velar stop k which is in parentheses, occurs in emphatic questions. The question clitic is heavily stressed in such a case. The table does not include the nonpast conjunct question -ken which is explained in section 13.6.1. The question clitic in Lhomi attaches to the final suffix of a finite verb or to an auxiliary of the finite verb.

18.1.1 Simple question

A simple question refers to the basic structure of an interrogative clause or sentence in Lhomi. There are no other grammatical hints for the hearer except the question clitic which signals that the speaker’s illocutionary act is a question. Unlike some other verbal suffixes which occur as finite suffixes, the question marker does not neutralize the preceding suffix, e.g. progressive or evidential marker. Consider the following examples question markers are underlined. 18.1 aku-raŋ-la khim tɕik jøp=pa? uncle-self-DAT house INDF EXIST.EXP=Q ‘Do you uncle have a house?’ Or: ‘Uncle, do you own a house?’ 18.2 jampu-la ɖo-ken? Kathmandu-DAT go-NMLZ;CONJ.Q ‘Are you going to Kathmandu?’ This is a common question to anybody who seems to be heading for Kathmandu. There is phonological stress in the question clitic -ken to distinguish it from the respective declarative form. Often the final n is not audible. The subject is left implicit because it is marked on the verb. 18.3 u- ki doŋpu gartsa u-ko raŋ-ki thoŋ-kuk=ka? that-GEN tree big that-head 2SG-ERG see-PROG;VIS=Q ‘Do you see that big tree?’ 18.4 ha arak ha døntøt=raŋ khur-tɕuŋ. now liqour now much=FOC carry-PST.EXP nukm-e arak maŋa thuŋ thuu-køp-pa bek=ka? TE4 this.way-GEN liquor a.lot drink be.able-PROG;EXP-NML;Q AUX=Q ‘Women brought here really a lot of liquor. Can these men habitually drink that much liquor?’

18.1.2 Alternative questions affirmative–affirmative

Speaker requests information by giving several alternatives and the hearer is supposed to pick one when he replies. It is the conjunction na ‘or’ which separates the questions from each other. Between the alternative questions there are often two conjunctions. The boundary between the questions is in between those two conjuctions. In written texts the norm is to have just one conjunction. Consider the following examples question markers and conjunctions are underlined. 18.5 lha- kaŋ-ki ku-la ket dʑak-køp=pa na na el-laa god-house-GEN idol-DAT voice VBZR-PROG;EXP=Q or or before-ADVZR hat ɕa-raŋ-ki tɕhøppa puu-ken lha ɕiptak lukaŋ-la na 1PL.INCL-self-GEN offering offer-NMLZ;CONJ god ɕiptak lukang-DAT or na na hat ɕa-raŋ-ki khim-ki naŋ-la tim-p-e or or 1PL.INCL-self-ERG house-GEN inside-DAT consecrate-NMLZ;Q-GEN lha di-la ket d ʑak-køp=pa? TE48 god DEF-DAT voice VBZR-PROG;EXP=Q ‘Do you invoke the god of the village temple or Shiptak Lukang, the god which we earlier used to worship, or the god which we have consecrated inside our homes?’ This is a series of rhetorical questions and the speaker does not actually request information from the audience but develops his own argumentation. Each hearer may pick quietly his choice of these three options. The conjunction na may be reduplicated which reinforces the alternation. 18.6 ni mi jari gompu t ɕaa-la khøt ha ɖik-ken na man some gombu at-DAT 2SG now reconcile-NMLZ;CONJ.Q or khamt ɕu di=raŋ dʑak-ken? TE55 court.case DEF=FOC VBZR-NMLZ;CONJ.Q ‘Some men go to Gombu and say, “Do you now agree and become reconciled or do you take him to court?”’ The speaker gives two options to the man who is a party in a legal battle of a land dispute. 18.7 khim-la lok-p-e jaŋ-la kaŋpa ɖo-ken na home-DAT return-NMLZ;Q-GEN time-DAT foot go-NMLZ;CONJ.Q or pelel-la ɖo-ken? plane-DAT go-NMLZ;CONJ.Q ‘When you go back home, do you go on foot or do you go by plane?’ Hearer must choose one of these two options.

18.1.3 Alternative questions affirmative–negated