LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 16:6 June 2016
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Yes/No Questions in Ao

Pangersenla Walling, Ph.D.

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss the Yes/No (Y/N) question in Ao, a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Nagaland, India. A syntactic description is not sufficient to understand the intricateness associated with Y/N questions in Ao. The semantic and pragmatic interpretation is necessary. There ‘are five Y/N question marker i.e., ma/no, na, tu, ase, ni in Ao, these markers occur post verbally. The marker ase is also used as an interrogative disjunctive affinity. The choice of the Y/N question particles depends on the speakers intentions. Hence, in this paper, we will examine the relation of syntactic, semantics and pragmatics of Yes-No (henceforth Y/N) questions particles in Ao.

Keywords: yes/no question, syntactic description, Ao

1. Introduction

Y/N question is a sub-classification of types of question where a grammatical reply is expected to be a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Y/N questions are formed in different ways among languages. Some languages use the raise of intonation; some languages inflect the verb (Greenlandic) and some language use different morphemes. In English it is marked by a mechanism known as auxiliary inversion, as in: 1. ‘John will eat mangoes’
2. ‘Will John eat mangoes?’

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Pangersenla Walling, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Linguistics
Nagaland University, Kohima Campus
Merima
Kohima 797001
Nagaland
India
wallingasen@gmail.com
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