4. SYNTAX
91e. pta nahIM /maalaUma nahIM / jaI maalaUma nahIM.
pata: nahĩ: /ma:lu:m nahĩ:/ ji: ma:lu:m nahĩ:.
It is not known.
91f. pta nahIM /maalaUma nahIM.
pata:/ma:lu:m nahĩ:.
I don’t know.
The honorific terms ijanaaba jina:b and saahba sa:hab can also be added in
the sentence initial position.
91dd. ijanaaba / saahba @yaa pta?
jina:b/sa:hab kya: pata:?
Sir, who knows?
91ee. ijanaaba / saahba @yaa pta?
jina:b/sa:hab kya: pata:?
Sir, it is not known.
91ff. ijanaaba / saahba pta/maalaUma nahIM.
jina:b/sa:hab pata:/ma:lu:m nahĩ:.
Sir, I don’t know.
The agreement or affirmative response is sometimes indicated
merely by using the honorific terms ijanaaba jina:b and saahba sa:hab as in
the following examples:
- vah caalaak nahIM hO?
vah ca:la:k nahĩ: h ́?
he clever neg-Q is
Isn’t he clever?
92a. jaI /jaI hO/ haÐ ̧ vah caalaak nahIM hO?
ji:/ ji: h ́/ hã:, jina:b/hã: sa:hab h ́.
Yes, he is.
As shown above, answers to yes-no questions may be yes, or no, or
other response terms or expressions. The positive and negative
response particles haÐ hã: yes and nahIM anahĩ: no can be reduplicated for