Page 376 - A GRAMMAR OF BHOJPURI _ PhD Dissertation 2020 TU

bɑɽʌ
be.2.PRES

'You are jabbering a lot, have you drunk INTOXICATED SQUASH?' (11.223)
(v) Polar question (adjunct focus)

(8) िप6ठआ भुइआँ म) िगरा दी ँ ?
piʈʈʰiɑ b ̤ uiɑ ̃ mẽ ɡirɑ dĩ

piʈʈʰi-ɑ b̤ uiɑ ̃ mẽ ɡir-ɑ de-ĩ
cake-DEF ground LOC fall-CAUS give-FUT.H

'Can I let the cake fall on the GROUND?' (05.011)
In example (4), the questioned part of the proposition is the verb. Similarly, in

(5-8) different constituents (italicised in Devanagari and IPA as well as capitalized in its
free English translation) of the sentence are questioned with slightly raised intonation.

b) Alternative polar question
In alternative polar question, "both the affirmative and negative, or even a longer

list of alternatives, are overtly expressed" (Givόn 2001b:292). In Bhojpuri, the questioned
alternatives are juxtaposed to each other with a coordinator ;क /ki/ 'or', as in (9a-d):
(9) a. लोग के जबान पर ऊ चीज बा (क ना ?

loɡ ke jʌbɑn pʌr u cij bɑ ki nɑ
people GEN tongue LOC DIST matter be.3SG.PRES or NEG

'IS there the thing present on the public tongue OR NOT?' (03.108)
b. स+से -याज चाह3 ;क -याज के बकलोइया चाह3 ?

̃
sɔse pyɑj cɑɦĩ ki pyɑj ke bʌkloiɑ cɑɦĩ
sɔ ̃ se pyɑj cɑɦ-ĩ ki pyɑj ke bʌkloiɑ cɑɦ-ĩ

whole onion want-3.OPT or onion GEN scale want-3.OPT
'Is the whole onion required or its barks only? (03.133)

c. तू आम खइबऽ ;क पेँड़ गनबऽ ?

tu ɑm kʰʌibʌ ki pẽɽ ɡʌnbʌ
tu ɑm kʰɑ-ibʌ ki pẽɽ ɡʌn-bʌ
2.SG.NOM mango eat-2.OPT.MH or tree count-2.OPT.MH

'Will you have RESULT or DETAILS OF PROCESS?' (011.221)
d. एह खेत के घास ग4बऽ ;क क6बऽ ?

eɦ kʰet ke ɡ ̈ ɑs ɡʌr ̥ bʌ ki kʌʈbʌ

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