(Udmurt)

InitIP

InitIP: The word order of interrogative phrases is sentence-initial.

(1)ma-lytonso-os-tymertt-iśko-d?
whatDATyouitPLACCplantPRS2SG
’Why did you plant them?’ (Marajko 25.08.2015)

(2)ľiďijabazar-yśkin-eadʒ́-i-z?
LidiamarketELAwhoACCseePST3SG
’Who did Lidia see at the market?’ (Asztalos 2018: 154)

(3)tonmartatynkar-iśko-d,ińťeľľigentnojaďami?
youwhatheredoPRS2SGintelligentman
’What are you doing here, intelligent man?’ (Marajko 02.09.2015)

(4)škola-ja-zymiľemyzintyja-zykytćy?
schoolINE3PLwe.ACCplacePST.3PLwhere
’Where did they place us at school (I wonder)?’ (Mynam malpanjosy 29.03.2016)

In present-day Udmurt interrogative phrases are usually in a sentence-initial position (1) (Asztalos 2018: 152–153). Occasionally they can appear elsewhere: in a non-sentence-initial position directly preceding the verb (2) (in Old Udmurt it was the most natural position of an interrogative phrase, cf. Shutov 1999: 19, Karakulova – Karakulov 2001: 80); sentence internally in a position not directly preceding the verb (3); or sentence-finally following the predicate (4). These, however, are information structurally non-neutral sentences.

Author: Erika Asztalos


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