Interrogative 10
.45 raŋ-ki luŋpa kha-ntuk tɕhi-pa jøt=a ak? 2SG-GEN country what-ADVZR do;VBZR-NMLZ;Q EXIST.EXP=CFP INCLN
‘I have no idea what your country is like?’ This is a real question addressed to someone but the speaker confesses his total ignorance.
Interrogative 10.46 ama nam
juŋ-køt=a ak? mother when come-PROG;EXP=CFP INCLN
‘When in the world is the mother coming?’ Speaker is addressing someone else. He has no idea.
Declarative, reply to 10.46 10.47 mat-
ɕii nam juŋ-køt=a. NEG-learn[PST] when come-PROG;EXP=CFP
‘I haven’t learned. I have no idea when she comes.’ Interrogative
10.48 le nam ʈhup-køt=a ak?
work when finish-PROG;EXP=CFP INCLN ‘When is the work ending? I have no idea.’
10.2.4 Disclaimer or ‘hearsay’ particle
The particle lo disclaimer or “hearsay” particle is treated with the evidentials see section 14.2.7 on evidentiality.
10.2.5 Mirative particle
DeLancey 2001:369–370 explains that “the term mirativity refers to the linguistic marking of an utterance as conveying information which is new or unexpected to the speaker.” Aikhenvald 2004:195
observes: “Terms in evidentiality systems with more than four choices typically have no mirative overtones; there are often other ways of expressing such meanings.” The Lhomi evidentiality system has
at least five terms see figure 14.2.
In Lhomi, speaker’s reaction to unexpected information is marked by the particle wa. It implies newly discovered information and is a genuine reaction of surprise to an event or state of affairs by the
speaker. The mirativity marker may occur either at the beginning or at the end of a statement. It modifies the whole clause. All finite verbal markers are in the verb and this particle stands alone. The
particle wa occasionally also wak combines with other particles such as the counter-expectation marker. Any tense, aspect, or evidentiality markers are allowed in the finite verb. Some Tibeto-Burmese
languages mark the mirativity on a finite verb. I return to this subject later in chapter 14 on evidentiality.
The proper English translation typically is ‘to my surprise’, ‘wow’, ‘what a surprise’, ‘I just realized’, etc. Consider the following examples of wa in various positions.
1 Following a declarative finite clause 10.49 phitsa le-pøtma duk wa.
child work-ADJVZR EXIST.VIS MIR ‘Wow, what a beautiful baby’ Or: ‘Wow, the baby is beautiful’
Speaker has not seen the baby before. This is a genuine expression of surprise. 10.50 riki gat
ɕen kii-tuk wa. potatoe much grow-PRF.VIS MIR
‘Potatoes have really grown much, wow’ Speaker has been away from the village, returns back, and makes this statement. He has not seen
the gradual growth but only the current outcome. He is genuinely surprised. 10.51 hi-ko thøn t
ɕhimm-ʏ tam bet wa. TE54 this-head meaning great-GEN message COP MIR
‘Wow, this is a message of great importance’ Speaker is someone who has heard the speech and responds in this way with surprise.
2 Preceding a declarative clause 10.52 wa roo-so ok lit-tuk ka ni. tø=te wa.
MIR 3SG-PL1 INCLN arrive-PRF.VIS CEP DM look[IMP]=EMPH MIR ‘What a surprise, they also have come Wow, look at them’
Speaker just sees that they have arrived contrary to his expectation ka and he is surpised. He also asks his friend to look at them.
10.53 wak ŋ-e sir-ku tor-soŋ. TE31
MIR 1SG-GEN gold-idol get.lost-PST.VIS ‘To my amazement, my golden idol is lost.’
Speaker is the wife of a lama who had a golden idol which was stolen. The wife shouts this statement to the whole village. At the time of utterance she does not really know what has happened.
3 Preceding imperatives In the position preceding an imperative, wa signals that the speaker wants the hearer to feel the same
surprise at unexpected information which he has just experienced. 10.54 wa tø=te ta phaa-na.
MIR look[IMP]=EMPH EMPHP over.there-IN ‘Wow, do look over there’
Speaker has seen something unexpected which could be an object, an animal, a man, or anything else and he wants the hearer to see it too.
10.55 wa ɕok=te ta.
MIR come[IMP]=EMPH EMPHP ‘Do come here and you will be surprised’
Speaker is telling the hearer to come and discover something unusual. The particle wa may be permuted to the end but it still would modify the whole command.
4 Preceding questions The unexpected information is surprising to the speaker, but not to hearers in the next example:
10.56 wa khis-so ok ɖo-køp=pak?
MIR 2PL-PL1 INCLN go-PROG;EXP=Q ‘What a surpise, are you also going?’
Speaker sees that his friends also are getting ready to go. What he sees is unexpected to him and he requests for confirmation with this genuine question.
10.2.6 Determination particle
