Illocutionary Force and Evidentiality

Command Constructions





Positive Command Constructions


In command constructions the 2nd person singular and plural verb conjugations are used with the optional marker "le" in sentence final postition. (CM=command marker, PlM=plural marker)



1. Cakaw	taye	kwè'a7	le!
   you	sing	song	CM

   
   'Sing a song!' (2nd person singular)
   
   

2. Cakaw	taye	kwè'a7!
   you	sing	song

   
   'Sing a song!' (2nd person singular)
   
   

3. Cakaw	taw	taye	kwè'a7	le!
   you	PlM	sing	song	CM

   
   'Sing a song!' (2nd person plural)
   
   

4. Cakaw	taw	taye	kwè'a7!
   you	PlM	sing	song

   
   'Sing a song!' (2nd person plural)
   
   

   Negative Command Constructions

Negative commands are constructed in the same manner as positive commands with the addition of the negator, "le'pa7." This negator comes before the verb in the command. (NM=negative marker, PM=optional polite marker)



1. Le'pa7	ha'm	le!
   NM	speak	CM

   
   'Don't speak!'
   
   

2. Le'pa7	ha'm!
   NM	speak

   
   'Don't speak!'
   
   

3. 7ici	le'pa7	taye	rà!
   aunt	NM	sing	PM

   
   'Aunt, don't sing!'
   
   

4. 7ici	le'pa7	taye!
   aunt	NM	sing

   
   'Aunt, don't sing!'
   
   
   

   Question Formation

   
   
   

   Yes/No Questions

Statements can be made into Yes/No questions with the addition of the marker "ha."



1. Nù-kane7	Mary	kway	7a	phya.
   yesterday	Mary	walk	go	store

   
   'Yesterday Mary walked to the store.'
   
   

2. Nù-kane7	Mary	kway	7a	phya	ha?
   yesterday	Mary	walk	go	store	QM

   
   'Did Mary walk to the store yesterday?'
   
   
   

   Wh-Questions

Wh-questions are constructed using the question word, usually in sentence initial position, and sometimes with the optional Wh-question marker in sentence final position. This optional question marker for Wh-questions is "raw." (WhQ=Wh-question marker, P=past marker)

The list of question words as follows:



Cha-la'...	When
7akoin-la'...	When
Mu ha't...	Why
Tanày-la'...	Where
...la'...	Where, or Which*
...7a-la'...	Where
Mumu7...	What
Muci7...	How much
Pa'm-la'...	How
Ne'7-nua-la'...	How
Mu (Noun) ke'7kaw-la'...	Which
(Noun) ke'7kaw-la'...	Which
Nyeh-kò'h...	Who


*The question word "...la'..." in effect questions the noun preceeding it. Therefore, in the case of where, the preceeding noun is a place, and in the case of which, the preceeding noun is an object.



1. Cha-la'	Mary	7a	phya	raw?
   when	Mary	go	store	WhQ

   
   'When did Mary go to the store?'
   
   

2. 7akoin-la'	Mary	7a	phya	raw?
   when	Mary	go	store	WhQ

   
   'When did Mary go to the store?'
   
   

3. Mu ha't	Mary	7a	phya	raw?
   why	Mary	go	store	WhQ

   
   'Why did Mary go to the store?'
   
   

4. Mu ha't	Mary	7a	phya?
   why	Mary	go	store

   
   'Why did Mary go to the store?'
   
   

5. Tanày-la'	Mary	7a	raw?
   where	Mary	go	WhQ

   
   'Where did Mary go?'
   
   

6. Tanày-la'	Mary	7a?
   where	Mary	go

   
   'Where did Mary go?'
   
   

7. Mary	7a	la'	raw?
   Mary	go	where	WhQ

   
   'Where did Mary go?'
   
   

8. Mary	7a	7a-la'	raw?
   Mary	go	where	WhQ

   
   'Where did Mary go?'
   
   

9. Loit	la'	cakaw	ket	na	raw?
   book	which	you	take	P	WhQ

   
   'Which book did you take?'
   
   

10. Mumu7	raw?
    What	WhQ

    
    'What is this?'
    
    

11. Muci7	Mary	ran	raw?
    [how much]	Mary	buy	WhQ

    
    'How much did Mary buy?'
    
    

12. Mary	7a	phya	pa'm-la'	raw?
    Mary	go	store	how	WhQ

    
    'How did Mary go to the store?'
    
    

13. Pa'm-la'	7ua	cu	raw?
    how	I	look	WhQ

    
    'How do I look?'
    
    

14. Pa'm-la'	7ua	cu?
    how	I	look

    
    'How do I look?'
    
    

15. Ne'7-nua-la'	Mary	7a	phya	raw?
    how	Mary	go	store	WhQ

    
    'How did Mary go to the store?'
    
    

16. N'e7-nua-la'	Mary	7a	phya?
    how	Mary	go	store

    
    'How did Mary go to the store?'
    
    

17. Mu	ka	ke'7kaw-la'	Mary	ran	raw?
    what	car	kind	Mary	buy	WhQ

    
    'Which car did Mary buy?'
    
    

18. Nyeh-kò'h	Mary	raw?
    who	Mary	WhQ

    
    'Who is Mary?'
    
    

19. Nyeh-kò'h	Mary?
    who	Mary

    
    'Who is Mary?'
    
    
    

    Wh-Movement in Question Formation

The placement of wh-question words in Mon seem to have three possible variations. The wh-question word can come sentence initial position before the subject, after the subject but before the verb, or directly after the verb. The wh-question word, however, cannot be placed after the optional marker "raw," if the marker is found in the sentence. This optional marker must always be placed in sentence final postition.



1. Mary	pa'm-la'	taye	raw?
   Mary	how	sing	WhQ

   
   'How does Mary sing?'
   
   

2. Pa'm-la'	Mary	taye	raw?
   how	Mary	sing	WhQ

   
   'How does Mary sing?'
   
   

3. Mary	taye	pa'm-la'	raw?
   Mary	sing	how	WhQ

   
   'How does Mary sing?'
   
   

4. Mu ha't	Mary	7a	phya	raw?
   why	Mary	go	store	WhQ

   
   'Why did Mary go to the store?'
   
   

5. Mary	mu ha't	7a	phya	raw?
   Mary	why	go	store	WhQ

   
   'Why did Mary go to the store?'
   
   

6. Mary	7a	phya	mu ha't	raw?
   Mary	go	store	why	WhQ

   
   'Why did Mary go to the store?'
   
   

7. Mu	Mary	ran	raw?
   what	Mary	buy	WhQ

   
   'What did Mary buy?'
   
   

8. Mary	ran	mu	raw?
   Mary	buy	what	WhQ

   
   'What did Mary buy?'
   
   

9. Mary	mu	ran	raw?
   Mary	what	buy	WhQ

   
   'What did Mary buy?'
   
   
   

   Insults

Insults are constructed similarly to statement, however, there is a tendency to add the optional marker "rà" in sentence final position. This optional marker adds politeness in command constructions, but here the effect is more of agression. Insults can be said without this marker, but, the addition makes the utterance sound better. (This marker will be expressed as "M")



1. Cakaw	hamaw	ba't	klèa	rà!
   you	smell	like	cow	M

   
   'You smell like a cow!'
   
   

2. Nyeh	hamaw	ba't	klà'	rà!
   he	smells	like	dog	M

   
   'He smells like a dog!'
   
   

Footnotes