4. SYNTAX
88a. maOM @yaa kr rha hUÐ?
m ́~ kya: kar raha: hũ:?
I what am-ms doing
What am I doing?
All elements in a sentence, including the verb and any possible
combination thereof, can be questioned.
- maOM pUC rha hUÐ iksanao iksaoo AaOr kba kmaIja, dI?
m ́~ pu:ch raha: hũ: kisne kisko ør kab kami:z di:?
I ask-pr am who-erg who-dat and when shirt gave
Im asking you who gave a shirt to whom and when?
89a. iksanao iksaoo AaOr kba kmaIja, dI?
kisne kise kab kami:z di:?
Who gave a shirt to whom and when?
89b. iksanao iksaoo kba @yaa idyaa?
kisne kise kab kya: diya:?
Who gave what to whom and when?
In (89b), the verb is echo-questioned.
4.3.4.4. Answers
Not all types of answers can be formally distinguished from other
declarative statements. Answers to yes-no questions require the use
of the agreement and disagreement markers haÐ hã ‘yes’ and nahIMM nahĩ:
‘no’ respectively in the sentence initial position, which may be
followed with certain honorific markers. Answers to question-word
questions involve the stating of the constituent required by the
question. The rest of the elements of the sentence are usually
deleted.
- vah kba Aagara jaaegaa?
vah kab a:gra: ja:yega:?
When will he go to Agra?
90a. prsaaoM jaaegaa.
parsõ ja:yega:.
(He) will go day after tomorrow.