User:Bukkia/sandboxVIII

Interrogative pronouns

The basic interrogative pronoun is:

• what / who: šæ

It displays a complete declension, with the nominal declension endings. Unlike other pronouns, the basic case form is used when referring to inanimate entities (what?), while the direct case form is used when referring to animate entities (who?). Plural forms are scarcely used.

šæ æpjixu ojh ʎiloɸjiθu?
what do you see?

šæl‘ æpjixu ojh ʎiloɸjiθu?
whom do you see?

The oblique case form is normally used unregarding any animacy. However, when this form is used without prepositions, it takes the meaning of the indirect object, referring to an animate entity (to whom?):

šæha æpjixu ojh kobæciθu æl‘ pičɛl‘?
whom did you give water to?

There are also other interrogative pronouns (and adverbs):

• šæθucær: where (static location)
• šæθuxa: where (motion toward)
• šæθusu: where... from (motion form)
• šæhu: why (cause)
• šæju: when
• šæminɛ: how much
• šæmæc: how

There are also the following interrogative adjectives:

• šaɣə: which (inanimate)
• šáɣə: which (animate)
• šamêɣə: how much / many (inanimate)
• šámêɣə: how much / many (animate)

Such adjectives, like the demonstrative adjectives, tend to be placed before their nouns and they are never used with the prepositive articles. Moreover, they are never declined, except for some archaic fixed expressions.

šamêɣə çâjînə lîβəh?
how many trees do you see?

Within an interrogative clause, pronouns usually are usually moved at the beginning of the sentence but, in earlier texts they can be found in their syntactical position. This position is regarded as extremely marked in the modern language. In addition, like other parts of the sentences, they can be introduced by prepositions:

gú šáre sôwg?
whom are you talking about?