pucouno
mlalo eno puthono z lò |
`work
in the day and sleep in the night (imp)’ |
|
In
this section a description of the three types of sentences
occurring in Sema was dealt with. We have so far discussed
only sentences of an affirmative type. It is, however, possible
to transform any affirmative sentence into interrogative and
negative sentences. |
| 3.8.
TRANSFORMATIONS |
The
term transformational has engendered a good deal of unnecessary
controversy and confusion in the recent literature on linguistics.
It could be stated in a general sense rather than in the particular
sense in which it is defined in any one theory that the deeper
connections between sentences which cut across the surface
grammar are transformational relationships and many of these
relations were/are well recognized and handled statisfactorily
in many of the traditional as well as the phrase structure
grammars. In this section, the term transformation is used
in the general sense. Beginning with the system of interrogation,
it is proposed to discuss in this section, the pattern of
the interrogative and negative sentences in Sema. |
| |
The
interrogative sentences stand in contrast to declarative sentences
by virtue of their modality, primarily because, just as in
the case of the imperative, permissive moods, etc. which indicate
the attitude/expectation of a speaker, the interrogative sentences
could also indicate the expectation of a speaker. For instance,
there are three types of yes/no question in Sema. Of these
the first is an open question which do not indicate whether
the speaker expects a yes/no answer. In the second and the
third type, the speaker expects respectively a positive and
a negative answer. It is, however treated here under transformation,
primarily because it affects the entire sentence and not the
verb alone, though the yes/no questions affect only the verb.
In Sema, the syntantic distinction between declarative and
interrogative sentences is associated with the employment
of a few interrogative particles and interrogative pronouns.
When interrogative particles alone are used for transforming
a declarative into an interrogative sentence, the particles
are post-posed to the declarative sentence, as in : |
| (a)
noye pa ithi anì |
`you
know him’ |
noye
pa ithi anì kesyá? |
`do
you know him?’ |
|
| 1. |
The
interrogative particle ma substitutes kesya, for expressing
respect to the person questioned. Such a respect elsewhere
is not expressed in this language nor does the language
have the system of `honorofic plural. Kesya usually
occurs with people of inferior status and the neutral
forms devoid of respect or disrespect are kema or
kyà. |
|
| (b)
hipawye okì hipawye oki kesya? |
`this
(is) your house’ `(is) this your house ?’
|
(c)
paye axathi eúnisi anì paye axathi cúnisi
anì kesya? |
`he
wants to eat a fruit’`does he want to eat a
fruit?” |
(d)
noye mildo lakhì únanì noye mildo
lakhì únanì kesya? |
`he
will walk a mile’ `will he walk a mile?”
etc. |
|
The
illustrative examples of the interrogative sentences given
above belong to what may be called the neutral or open class
of questions anticipating either a yes/no answer, i.e., the
person who questions is totally ignorant of the truth of the
information he is seeking and as such the answer could be
either a yes or a no, for instance, a neutral question like
: |
| noye
li kimiye cenì kesya? |
`do
you love her? |
|
could
usually bring forth either of the answers : |
| ye,
kimiye, cenì |
`yes,
I love her’ |
1
2 3 4 |
(lit.
yes, love habitually will)
1 2 3 4 |
moy,
tisi cemo |
`no,
I do not love her’ |
1 2 3 4 5 |
(lit.
no that do habitually not)
1 2 3 4 5 |
|
In
addition to such neutral yes/no questions, Sema language for
that matter, all the Naga languages - have devices whereby
the one who questions already assumes/suspects that something
has taken place/happened and merely wants a confirmation to
this suspecision. In other words, the question would indicate
whether the speaker anticipates a positive or a negative answer.
The questions would, therefore, be worded differently depending
upon whether he anticipates a positive or a negative confirmation,
for instance if he anticipates a positive confirmation, the
question would be : |
| noye
kuchono li cenì kesya? |
`do
you love her?’ |
|
And
the answer would usually be : |
| ye
tisi cenì |
`yes
I do love her’ |
|
but
if he was misinformed, the answer could be : |
| moy
tisi cemo |
`no
I do not love her’
(lit. no, that do habitually not) |
|
|
The same question could also be refuted more emphatically, as
in : |
| moy,
tiye kucho kumo |
`no
that is not true’ |
|
