Feature GB297: Can polar interrogation be indicated by a V-not-V construction?

Patrons: Jeremy Collins and Jay Latarche

Description ⇫

Summary

This feature concerns polar interrogative constructions where the main verb is repeated, once in the affirmative form and again in the negated form, as a pragmatically unmarked way of asking questions. The negated form can also occur before the affirmative form.

Procedure

  1. Code 1 if there is a construction where the main verb is repeated, one time in the affirmative form and another in the negated, to form a polar question. This should be pragmatically unmarked, e.g. equivalent to English ‘Did you go?’, rather than the English form ‘Did you go or not?’ (which is used e.g. when repeating the question).
  2. Code 0 if there is information on how questions are formed, and this structure is not listed among them.
  3. Code ? if there is not enough information on how questions are formed.

Examples

Mandarin Chinese (ISO 639-3: cmn, Glottolog: mand1415)

Mandarin Chinese is coded 1 (Wiedenhof 2015: 212–214).

他们   来   不   来
Tāmén lái  bù  lái
3PL   come not come
‘Are they coming?’ (Wiedenhof 2015: 212)

Paamese (ISO 639-3: pma, Glottolog: paam1238)

Paamese is coded 1.

kǐha           vuō         kirovɔtelʔ
kil+haa        vǔo (o)     kitro+vaa+tel 
2SG.DIST.go    or          2SG.DIST.NEG.go.PTCP
‘Will you go or not?’ (Crowley 1982: 241)

(Abbreviations: DIST distal mood)

Further reading

Hagstrom, Paul. 2017. A-not-A Questions. In Martin Everaert & Henk C. van Riemsdijk (eds), The Wiley Blackwell companion to syntax, Second edition, 1–40. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.

References

Crowley, Terry. 1982. The Paamese language of Vanuatu. (Pacific Linguistics: Series B, 87.) Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University.

Wiedenhof, Jeroen. 2015. A grammar of Mandarin. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.


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0 absent 1513
1 present 115
? Not known 513
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Values ⇫

Name Glottocode Family Macroarea Contributor Value Source Comment