| /zìrtírtù
i nìh/ |
‘you
are (a) teacher’ |
| (teacher)
(you)(are) |
|
|
|
| /tu:m
í ná?/ |
‘who
are you?’ |
| (who)
(you)(are) |
|
|
|
/zà:ni
à hú / |
‘he
came yesterday’ |
| (yesterday)(he)(came) |
|
|
|
| /ìetìká
hú
àm á ná?/ |
‘when
did he come?’ |
| (when)
(come)(is)(he)(is) |
|
|
|
/hí
ká th thèi/ |
‘I
can do this’ |
| (this)(I)
(can do) |
|
|
|
| /ìem
ká th:
thèi á?/ |
‘what
can I do?’ |
|
|
|
In
the above examples the italics words in (b) simply substitute
the italics words in (a). There is no movement of any
element. Thus, it merely involves substitution. |
| 4.5.2.2 |
Simple
Yes-No type |
|
The
simple yes-no type interrogative sentences are generated
only by simply addicting interrogative intonation. Here
an element like /ti/ or /ni/ could optionally appear
in the final position in the sentence. |
| Given
below are few examples : |
| /hú
lùt thèi ká tí?/ |
‘may
I come in’ |
| (come)(in)(may)(i)
(+ fut) |
|
|
|
| /ínàh
fè -théi tàN á tí?/ |
‘can
he go home?’ |
(home)(go)(can)(time)(he)
(+ fut) |
|
|
|
| /zirtírtù
á ní?/ |
‘is
he (a) teacher?’ |
| (teacher)
(he) (is) |
|
|
|
| /láihin
hú
à tí ?/ |
‘will
he come here ?’ |
| (here)
(come)(he)(+ fut) |
|
|
|
| /láihín
à hú
dì
?/ |
‘will
he come here ?’ |
| (here)
(he) (come)(+ fut) |
|
|
|
| /hí
í th:
thèi dí
(aní)?/ |
‘can
you do this ?’ |
| (this)(you)(do)(can)(+fut)
(is it) |
|
|
|
| /pùlís
á ní?/ |
‘is
he a police?’ |
| (police)(a)
(is) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
All
the above sentences minus the interrogative intonation
are appropriate assertive sentences provided that the
final /h/ in /tìh/ or /nìh/ is
re-introduced. In such interrogative sentences too,
the word-order is highly flexible. |
|
It
is also possible to generate tag-questions in Hmar which
require first producing the assertive sentences and
then tagging a negatively structured yes-no type question
to them. In other words such interrogative sentences
are nothing but the combination of two sentences of
the same theme-one in assertive and the other in interrogative
intonation and together with a negative element in the
second one. |
Give
below are few example: |
/zìrtírtu
á nìh, án n:?/ |
(teacher)(he)
(is) (is not he) |
‘he
is a teacher, is not he ?’ |
| |
/ítì
khà (tè), án n :/ |
(you
say)(pt) or, |
| |
/ítì
khà (tè), án n:/ |
(you)
(said) (so) (this)(is not) |
‘you
said that, did not you? |
| |
/ìnkh:mà
án hùnh,
án hú?/ |
(meeting)
(they)(attended not) (they)(attended) |
‘they
did not attend the meeting, did they?’ |
