|
Finally, the mere juxtaposition of the
affirmative and negative forms of a verb could
mark the information-seeking yes-no interrogative
nature of the sentence :
|
|
273 |
ni
idu mikrüli lo-e lo-mo-e |
| |
you (sg.)
went down to Imphal yesterday , yes
or no? |
|
Information Seeking Interrogation which is Fresh
Inquiry and Phrasal
|
This is marked in
the affirmative by ha and in the negative by mo-ha.
Typically this has its trigger in previous linguistic
performance, and could not figure in discourse-initial
sentences.
|
|
|
3.4.14.3.2. |
At Once Information-Seeking and Information-Confirming
|
| |
Yes-No
Interrogation (minus surprise)
|
The information-confirming
part would mean that the speaker has already some
information which is based on some presumptive
evidence. Based on the nature of the evidence
as to reliability, certainty etc. this class of
yes-no interrogation divides into two broad classes:
one when the presumptive evidence is solid, beefy
and typically reliable or unimpeachable and the
other where the presumptive evidence is tenuous,
doubtful, uncertain. The former class is marked
by the referentially identical but emotively different
-sha/sa, -wa and -o and the latter class by -ho.
In the case of the former, the speaker has perceived
the presumptive evidence and so has some knowledge
of what he is talking about while his interlocutor
has full knowledge. In contrast, in the case of
the latter, neither of the interlocutors need
have any knowledge of the proposition. In both
cases, of course, the speaker has to have some
evidence which underpins his question. The question
|
| 275. |
izho1
shuţţi2
ho3
|
| |
(is) today1
(a) holiday2
?3 |
|
could be asked by someone who sees his teacher
in the market and addressed to a friend who need
not necessarily know whether it is a holiday or
not. In the case of the former, on the other h
and, as illustrated in
|
| 276. |
izho1
shu-ţţi2
- |
{ o }
3 |
| |
|
{ wa } |
| |
|
{ sha/sa
} |
| |
|
|
| |
(is) today1
(a) holiday2
? 3 |
|
|
the listener must know the answer to the question,
in particular, whether it’s a holiday or not.
In the former case, it is highly unlikely that
the evidence constitutes unerring leads. In fact
the ho- marked sentence could border on guessing.
Thus,
|
|
277 |
pfo1
idu2
larücü3
-li4
vu5
ho6 |
| |
did5
he1
go5
to4
school3
yesterday2
? 6
|
|
all that the speaker might have seen is the referent
of the subject go out of the house without knowing
where. In the case of the -wa/-o/-sna/sa-
marked questions, the evidence is a more sure
indicator of the state of affairs that the question
seks to elicit. Thus, supposing the speaker knows
that Athisü eats at 7 O’clock but it is now 7.45
and Athisü has not eaten yet, the speaker could
address Athisü and say
|
|
278 |
ni1
avu2
le3
mo4
-o5 |
| |
will3
you1
not4
eat your meal2
?5
|
|
n
b
