Linguist Forum

Specializations => Typology and Descriptive Linguistics => Topic started by: zaba on April 27, 2014, 07:41:27 AM

Title: What is the Leipzig standard gloss for a polar question
Post by: zaba on April 27, 2014, 07:41:27 AM

Sure, there are many lists and I checked all of them... but none of them give an idea of how to gloss a polar question like this one:

be.good-POLAR 'Is it good?'
chicken be-3sg-POLAR 'Is it a chicken?'

Title: Re: What is the Leipzig standard gloss for a polar question
Post by: Daniel on April 27, 2014, 08:02:18 AM

Isn't it just Q?

Title: Re: What is the Leipzig standard gloss for a polar question
Post by: zaba on April 27, 2014, 08:15:37 AM

Isn't that ambiguous with other interrogative markers?

which 2POSS-patronymic be-INTERR 'what is your name?'
Kawul-ACC you be-POLAR 'are you Karol?'

Title: Re: What is the Leipzig standard gloss for a polar question
Post by: Daniel on April 27, 2014, 08:31:37 AM

I'm not sure about that standard, but for a yes/no question I have often seen just Q (sometimes QM) used for the particle (as in a WH-question) because it is yes/no if there is no WH-item.