|
Even in the case of -wa/-o/-sha/sa
-marked sentences, however, the evidence is
not an infallible cue, as they brook opposite
answers
|
|
|
Three more examples should put the semantics of ho beyond doubt.
The speaker could ask
|
| 280 |
ni1
mikrüli2 lo3
ho4 |
| |
did3
you (sg.)1 go3
to Imphal2 ?4
|
|
of a listener who is traveling from the direction
of Imphal (the capital of Manipur) when he (the
speaker) boards the bus at, say, Maram (a point
between Imphal and Mao). Note that the speaker
has no evidence not to say that the listener is
traveling from Senapati rather than from Imphal
and at the same time there is some evidence which
triggers the use of ho viz. that the
bus is coming from (the direction of) Imphal.
In such a situation
|
| 281 |
ni1
mikrüli2 lo3
omo-e4 /ama4 |
|
is impossible because omo/ama
precludes any previously perceived evidence, while
the use -o/wa as in
|
| 282 |
ni1
mikrüli2 lo3
o4 /lo3
-wa4 |
|
means that the speaker is somehow (e.g. the speaker had sen the
subject in Imphal the previous day or he had seen him off at Mao
when the referent of the subject had told him he was going to
Imphal a few days earlier) more sure that the subject is in fact
coming from Imphal. A second example would be that on the eve of a
minister’s visit to a particular place, somebody could ask
|
| 283
|
 i
si1 vu2
le3 ho4
|
| |
will 3
(the) D.C.1 come2
?4 |
|
A third example is, when the speaker sees someone togging up or
packing things, he could ask
|
| 284 |
pfo1
-e2 vu3
le4 ho5
|
| |
will4
he1 come3
too2 ?5 |
|
There is another use of ho when it marks both interrogation and
the fact that the speaker wants the action to take place or that
it is required that the action take place.
|
| 285 |
ni1
capüi2 khi vu3
le4 ho5
|
| |
will4
you (sg.)1 come back3
later2 (it is required
that |
| |
you
come back or I want you to come back)
?5 |
|
-sha/sa
is typically vivid, blunt, disrespectful; it is
used for those who are inferiors in some sense,
children, subordinates, etc. and not for elders.
-wa is typically for equals. -wa
and -o are interchangeable
|
|
286 |
ni1
lohe-no2 avu3
le4 mo5
- |
{ o }6 |
| |
|
{ wa } |
| |
|
|
| |
will4 you1
not5 eat3 there2
?6 |
|
|
Examples of sha/sa
|
| 287
1. |
ni1
larücü2 -li3
vu4 mo-5
sha/sa6 |
| |
did4
you1 not5
go4 to3
school2 ?6 |
| |
|
| 2. |
ai1
ni2 he3
pe4 mo-5
sha/sa6 |
| |
did4
I1 not5
tell4 you ?6 |
|
Examples of -o
|
| 288
1. |
hibvü-o
‘like this (with paralinguistic action)
? |
| |
hibvü
mo-o ‘not like this (with paralinguistic
action) ? |
| |
|
| |
|
| 2. |
ni1
aagra2 -li3
ta-oţi-e4-o5 |
| |
have4
you (sg.)1 been4
to3 Agra2
?5 |
| |
|
| |
ni1
aagra2 -li3
ta4 mo5
-ţi-e4
-o6 |
| |
have4
not5 you (sg.)1
been4 to3
Agra2 ?6 |
| |
|
| 3. |
ocü
rü-o |
| |
|
| a.
|
is
it raining ? |
| |
|
| b. |
did
it rain ? |
| |
|
| |
ocü
rü1 mo2
-o3
|
| |
|
| a. |
is
it1 not2
raining1 ? 3 |
| |
|
| b.
|
did
it1 not2
rain1 ?3
|
|
