180 CHAPTER 4. PARTICLES
Using instead of is a more assertive way to do the exact same thing,
somewhat rhetorically asking for confirmation. Because this is a more as-
sertive particle, it expects a response more than does. However, this par-
ticle as sentence ender has a problem, because as was explained in chapter
3 in the section on imperatives, after a can also mean aprohibit-
ingcommand, such as in:
”Don’t open (that).”
The way to tell whether is a prohibiting command or a confirma-
tion seeking particle, is intonation. If is accented, it’s the confirmation
seeking version. If it’s unaccented, it’s a prohibiting command. We can
also find at the end of a sentence when it’s following a , in which
case it can be considered a short version of the + command-
ing form:
”Will you get up already.”
Luckily, this type of command is typically issued in a very stern
voice, so it’s very hard to mistake it for the other two roles that the sentence
ending can have.
Like , can have its vowel sound drawn out, to form (also
wriĴen or ), and just like it can be used midsentence as an
aĴention grabber.
As a sentence ender, is a more emphatic version of , purely being in-
formative. Where is used either to present new information or contrary
information, is only used for new information:
”(He) didn’t come to class today either. (Do you think) maybe (he’s)
sick?”
Like and , can be used mid sentence as an aĴention grabber.
However, it is considered a more explicit aĴention grabber than or.
