Interrogatives Otjiherero grammar

1 interrogatives

1.1 selected interrogatives
1.2 ongwaye

1.2.1 positive
1.2.2 negative

interrogatives

otjiherero contains assortment of interrogatives, ongwaye (why) being unusual.

selected interrogatives

selected interrogatives

ongwaye

ongwaye has 2 uses. first stand-alone word asking what? , mean, example, did say? or laughing at? . second use ask why? questions. in these circumstances, paired tji. if subject noun or pronoun included in sentence, come between ongwaye , tji. these constructions vary between positive question , negative question.

positive

positive constructions begin sentence ongwaye , tji. note personal 3rd person, recent past subject concord wa combine tji form tja, , habitual subject concord u combine tji form tje.

examples

ongwaye tji mo tjiti nao? why (sing.) doing that?
ongwaye tji mamu pahere omunamuinyo movaṱi? why (pl.) searching living person amongst dead people?
ongwaye tje tupuka? why run?
ongwaye tja tupuka? why did run?
ongwaye tji ma tupuka? why running?

negative

for negatives in recent past, use following formula:

ongwaye + [optional noun/pronoun] + tji + [habitual subject concord] + hi ya + [verb in verb-stem conjugation]

example

ongwaye tje hi ya zika? why did not cook? (recently)

for negatives in non-recent past, use following formula:

ongwaye + [optional noun/pronoun] + tji + [negative particle ha] + [verb in yesterdays past conjugation]

example

ongwaye tje ha zikire? why did not cook? (non-recently)

for negatives in habitual tense, use following formula:

ongwaye + [optional noun/pronoun] + tji + [habitual subject concord] + [negative particle ha] + [verb in main alternative conjugation]

example

ongwaye ombo tji ha tuka? why doesn‘t ostrich fly?

for negatives in present progressive tense, use following formula:

ongwaye + [optional noun/pronoun] + tji + [habitual subject concord] + hi naku–

examples

ongwaye tji u hi nakuyenda? why not going?
ongwaye tje hi nakutupuka? why not running?




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