4. SYNTAX
Verbs like sauna sun-, saaoca soc- are ‘hear/say’ type verbs, and they
usually occur as higher verbs in reported speech. In sentences (7-9),
the complementizer ik ki precedes quoted material and in sentences
(10-11), it precedes the reported material. The complementizer is
frequently omitted. In Hindi, direct speech is preferred to indirect
speech. Sentence (12) may appear ambiguous.
- rama nao kha (ik) vah iktaba pZ,ogaa.
ra:mne kaha: (ki) vah kita:b parhega:.
Ram-erg said (that) he bookread-3s-fut
(a) Ram(i) said, he(j) will read the book.
(b) Ram(i) said that he(i) will read the book.
In (a) Ram and the noun and pronoun are not co-referential, and in
(b) they are. In this sentence, the first or direct speech reading is
preferred to the second or indirect speech reading. Instead of using
indirect speech, it would be more natural to use direct speech in the
second meaning as in (11).
- rama nao kha (ik) maOM iktaba pZ,UÐgaa.
ra:m ne kaha: (ki) m ́~ kita:b parũ:ga:
Ram-erg said (that) I book read-1s-fut
Ram said, I’ll read a book.
Sometimes direct and indirect speech can be differentiated with the
help of number and gender markers. For instance, the gender
discrepancy between the matrix verb and the embedded verb may
indicate an indirect quotation.
- rama nao kha (ik) maOM p~ ilaK rha hUÐ.
ra:mne kaha: (ki) m ́~ patr likh raha: hũ:
Ram-erg said (that) I letter write-prog am
Ram (i) said, I(i)m writing a letter.
Ram (i) said that I (j) am writing a letter.
12a. rama nao kha (ik) maOM p~ ilaK rhI hUÐ.
ra:mne kaha: (ki) m ́~ patr likh rahi: hũ:
Ram-erg said (that) I letter write-prog.fs am
Ram(i) said that I(j) am writing a letter.
*Ram(i) said that I(i) am writing a letter.