(Meadow Mari)
IP~Q
IP~Q: Indefiniteness is expressed by a special bound morpheme that usually – but not necessarily – has an etymological relationship to words meaning ‘be,’ ‘want,’ ‘maybe,’ ‘or,’ and ‘too.’
kö? mo?
| ‘who?’ ‘what?’ | ala-kö; ala-mo |
|---|---|
| ‘somebody’; ‘something’ | iktaž-kö; iktaž-mo |
‘somebody’; ‘something’
kuze?
| ‘how?’ | ala-kuze |
|---|---|
| ‘somehow’ | iktaž-kuze |
‘somehow’
mogaj?
| ‘what like?’ | ala-mogaj |
|---|---|
| ‘some kind of’ | iktaž-mogaj |
‘some kind of’
In Meadow Mari indefiniteness can be expressed in one of two ways, both involving prefixation to an interrogative pronoun. In ala-kö ‘somebody’, ala-mo ‘something’ the form ala is a borrowing of the Tatar particle ällä, where it is used in the same function. In the second type, iktaž is a derivative of the numeral ikte ‘one’ (Bereczki 2002: 76).
Author: Bogáta Timár