For this feature, we are looking for polar interrogation marked by intonation, and it should be the only marker in that construction. However, it does not have to be the only construction in the language which can mark polar interrogation. Intonation is our focus and not tone. Intonation is different from tonal marking. Tonal marking is bound to a certain position in the clause (e.g. the final syllable, or a certain constituent). Intonation concerns the whole clause and will have a variation in pitch across sentences and phrases.
Marshallese (ISO 639-3: mah, Glottolog: mars1254)
In Marshallese, polar interrogation can be indicated by either intonation alone in the construction, or by intonation and a clause-final question morpheme. Marshallese is coded 1 because intonation can be the only marker of polar interrogation in the construction.
Kwe iro.i? 2SG chief? ‘Are you a chief?’ (Zewen 1977: 92)
Veps (ISO 639-3: vep, Glottolog: veps1250)
Coded 0. A question particle is obligatory which indicates that intonation (whether present or not) does not mark polar interrogation alone in the construction (Brodskij 2008: 33–34).
Dryer, Matthew S. 2013a. Position of polar question particles. In Matthew S. Dryer & Martin Haspelmath (eds), The world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
Dryer, Matthew S. 2013b. Polar questions. In Matthew S. Dryer & Martin Haspelmath (eds), The world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
Brodskij, Igor’ Vadimovič. 2008. Samoučitel’ vepsskogo jazyka. Sankt Peterburg: Sanktpeterburgskoe Vepsskoe Obščestvo.
Zewen, François-Xavier Nicolas. 1977. The Marshallese language: A study of its phonology, morphology and syntax. (Veroffentlichungen des Seminars fur indonesische und Sudseesprachen der Universitat Hamburg 10.). Berlin: Reimer.
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0 | absent | 800 | |
1 | present | 835 | |
? | Not known | 619 |
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