Chapter 14
Questions
Madurese contains a variety of question types, which are detailed in this chap-
ter. These include yes/no questions (section 1), alternative choice questions
(section 2), and tag questions (section 3), in addition to content questions, for
which there are a number of different strategies (section 4), including both in
situ questions and cleft questions. Content questions of dependents of comple-
ment clauses are examined in great detail in section 5 given their comparatively
intricate nature, the previous literature on these structures in Indonesian lan-
guages, and the importance of the place of question formation in the develop-
ment of generative theory. Embedded questions are detailed in section 6 and use
of the question particle ba' in section 7.
1. Yes/no questions
Questions that an addressee can answer sufficiently simply with iya ‘yes’ or
ngja'/banne ‘no’ are formed in two principal manners. The first is by means of
intonation: a rising intonation contour at the terminus of a declarative sentence.
The sentences in (1) and (2) are questions by virtue of the appropriate intona-
tion.
(1) Ba'eng la ngakan?
you already AV.eat
‘Have you eaten?’
(2) Hasan ngerem paket dhari Kanada?
Hasan AV.send package from Canada
‘Did Hasan send a package from Canada?’
The second manner of forming yes/no questions is by means of the word
apa, which translates as ‘what’ but is also used as a general question particle,
which is glossed here as Q in those specific environments. Most frequently, apa
occurs at the beginning of the question, as in (3-5).
(3) Apa ba'eng maca buku?
Q you AV.read book
‘Did you read the book?’