1OPEN ALTERNATIVE QUESTIONS IN MANCHU-TUNGUSIC LANGUAGES
Depending on the logical structure, two types of alternative questions are usually described: (i) A-or-B and (ii) A-or-not-A. Remarkably, in Tungusic languages Udihe [1] and Oroqen [2], there is one more, typologically rare, type (iii) A-or-DO-WHAT?, where the second disjunct is expressed by an inte...
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.510.9228 http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/uhlcs/LENCA/LENCA-3/information/abstract-files/tolskaja-tolskaja-2.pdf |
| Summary: | Depending on the logical structure, two types of alternative questions are usually described: (i) A-or-B and (ii) A-or-not-A. Remarkably, in Tungusic languages Udihe [1] and Oroqen [2], there is one more, typologically rare, type (iii) A-or-DO-WHAT?, where the second disjunct is expressed by an interrogative pro-verb. We will call them open alternative questions. The pro-verb copies the inflectional markers of the finite predicate, used as the first disjunct, like in (1), both verbs are in focused (stressed) position, and may optionally attach identical word-final clitics-nu.-nu or-(A)s.-(A)s, so the questions of this kind sound like a rhyme. The talk will discuss how this type of alternative questions might have emerged and how it functions. If we analyze alternative questions as two coordinated interrogatives with a topicalized shared constituent, our example (1) implies a polar question (1a), and a special question (1b). Either of the two can be used independently, yet they would require different kinds of answers. The polar question has to be replied by repeating the focused constituent of the question (for a positive answer) (2a), or with the morphologically identical form of the negative auxiliary verb (for a negative answer) (2b), while to answer the special question, the |
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