New CBB

How do you handle sentences with multiple interrogatives? Like:



(1) Who loves whom?

Let's do the passive, also:

(2) Who is loved by whom?

And, with three wh's:

(3) Who said what to whom?


Languages with wh-in situ (that is, languages without wh-movement), can handle it easy. For languages with more or less obligatory wh-movement, there are some options. Wh-movement may apply only to one constituent (as in English). Or one could move all the questioned constituents to the front ("Who what to whom said", or something like that). Or a language may only allow questioning of one constituent at at time.

Wateu

Wateu utilises a "mixed" strategy - moving only one interrogative, and keeping the other(s) in situ.

(1) E mwei ila mwei?
PRS who love who

(2) E mwei ila a mwei?
PRS who love ERG who

(3) E mwei ko kenei mwea mo mwei?
PRS who PFV say what ALL who

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constructedlanguages.net

Who loves whom?
誰愛誰？
shei2 ai4 shei2
who love who

Who is loved by whom?
誰被誰愛？
shei2 bei4 shei2 ai4
who PASS who love

Who said what to whom?
誰跟誰說什麼？
shei2 gen1 shei2 shuo1 shen3me
who towards who say what

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力在公蝦米????

flags

(1) Who loves whom?
Qui aime qui ?
who love.3s.Present who
[ki ɛm ki]

(2) Who is loved by whom?
Qui est aimé par qui ?
who is.3s.Present loved.PastPart by who
[ki ɛ tɛ.me paʁ ki]

(3) Who said what to whom?
Qui a dit quoi à qui ?
who have.3s.Present said.PastPart what to who
[ki a di kwa a ki]

Vem älskar vem?
[vɛm ˈɛlska vɛm]
vem älsk-ar vem
who love-PRS who
Who loves who(m)?

Vem älskas av vem?
[vɛm ˈɛlskas ɒːvː ɛm]
vem älska-s av vem
who love-PASS by/of who
Who is loved by who(m)?

Vem sa(de) vad till vem?
vem sa(de) vad till vem
who say-PST what to who
[vɛm sɒː vɒː tɪ vɛm]
Who said what to who(m)?

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Proto-Hyảlim | Bjarmish

Ón gráti sem jett barn kvéner jag syggji jett lag um deiðan...
[oʊ̯n ˈgɾaːtɪ sɛmː jɛtː baɾn ˈkʰʋɛːnɛɾ jaː ˈsʏd͡ʑːɪ jɛtː laː ʊmː ˈdɛɪ̯an]

1) Who loves whom?
2) Who is loved by whom?
3) Who said what to whom?

Zidhgebzhail - Interrogatives simply use the normal rules for word-order based on the topic-focus structure of the utterance. Elements in [square brackets] are required in formal speech, but usually omitted in the vernacular.

1) kw[oz]il kw[oz]ef [kw]Aafshoend?
kw-[oz]-il kw-[oz]-ef [kw]-Ø-Aafshoe-nd?
Q-[man]-ERG.SG.M.TOP Q-[man]-ACC.SG.M.FOC [Q]-PRS-love-STATIVE
Who loves whom?

2) kw[oz]ef kw[oz]il [kw]Aafshoend?
kw-[oz]-ef kw-[oz]-il [kw]-Ø-Aafshoe-nd?
Q-[man]-ACC.SG.M.TOP Q-[man]-ERG.SG.M.FOC [Q]-PRS-love-STATIVE
Whom, who loves?

3) kw[oz]il kw[oz]jaem kw[eb]ef [kwy]gAizhlon?
kw-[oz]-il kw-[oz]-jaem kw-[eb]-ef [kwy]-g-Aizhlo-n?
Q-[man]-ERG.SG.M.TOP Q-[man]-LATIVE.SG.M Q-[thing]-ACC.SG.M.FOC [Q]-PST-say-SIMPLE
Who said what to whom?

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Valar morghulis.

Zidhgebzhail Orthography

Mekoshan

Pretty standard head-initial VSOX syntax.

Fuwov lu?
who-love who.ACC

Fugēwovd pu?
who-PASS-love-PASS who.INSTR

Fused dvō tu?
who-say.AOR what.ACC who.DAT

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Mekoshan
Alpic

Pag-buum
Hus seg daŋ daŋ faam
/xus seg daŋ daŋ faːm/
Q give who who love
(1) Who loves whom?

Hus seg daŋ ke daŋ faam
/xus seg daŋ ke daŋ faːm/
Q give who FOC who love
(2) Who is loved by whom?

Hus him daŋ waŋ seg daŋ
/xus xim daŋ waŋ seg daŋ/
Q say who what give who
(3) Who said what to whom?

The focus marker applies to the following daŋ, not the preceding one.

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Up in blue sky silly blimp goes by
Where it come from where it go
Ziggy-Zaggy it fly high

čibu nadzo čibu
who love who
who loves who?

čibu nepadzo čibu
who <PAS>love who
who is loved by whom?

čibu paŋa čibute tana
who say who-OBL what
who says whatto whom?

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Colourless green ideas sleep furiously

Uskra: The first two questions use a change in verb. But this is something specific to the use of 'to love.' Other verbs would form #2 by adding the inverse marker.

(1) Who loves whom?
As nitakas matru?
as ni-tak-as matru
Q 3A/OP-give-NPST love

(2) Who is loved by whom?
As nikuras matru?
as ni-kur-as matru
Q 3A/OP-take-NPST love

(3.) Who said what to whom?
As niskrum as hum as 'in?
as ni-skr-um as hum as 'in
Q 3A/OP-say-PST Q word Q person

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Ikasmu ati'uki nai uraiur.
Hinai nimuśim naimi nai sasamiur urukani. Śi'ama nai huhumiur na ni'amuśim nai sasamiur.
Pumaki nimuśim śima'a na ami nimuśim ara'a. Hini nihrasum i'aku tumra urukani na nihrasum sanik hraspir.

Croatian:

Tko voli koga?
tko voli koga
who[NOM] love.3SG.PRS who.ACC
Who loves whom?

Tko je voljen od strane koga?
tko je voli-jen od strana-e koga
who[NOM] be.3SG.PRS love-PASS.MASC GEN side-GEN.SG.FEM who.GEN
Who is loved by whom?

Tko je komu rekao što?
tko je komu rek-ao što
who[NOM] be-3SG.PRS who.DAT say-ACT.MASC what[ACC]
Who said what to whom?

Kàipói:

Kàipói doesn't have proper interrogatives. For example, "who" is in Kàipói hópài koi, that literally means "which person"?

Hópài koi cá hópài koi?
[hʷɔ˥.bãɪ̯̃˩.ᵑɡʷoi̯˧ sa˥ hʷɔ˥.bãɪ̯̃˩.ᵑɡʷoi̯˧]
person Q love person Q
"Who loves whom?"

Cá cì hópài koi hópài koi?
[sa˥ sĩ˩ hʷɔ˥.bãɪ̯̃˩.ᵑɡʷoi̯˧ hʷɔ˥.bãɪ̯̃˩.ᵑɡʷoi̯˧]
love INS person Q person Q
"Who is loved by whom?"

Hópài koi ái oánì lói koi cài hópài koi?
[hʷɔ˥.bãɪ̯̃˩.ᵑɡʷoi̯˧ aɪ̯˥.ɦʷo̯ɐ˥.nĩ˩ loɪ̯˥.ɡʷoi̯˧ sãĩ̯˩ hʷɔ˥.bãɪ̯̃˩.ᵑɡʷoi̯˧]
person Q be say thing Q DAT person Q
"Who said what to whom?"

In Itlani:

1) Who loves whom?

Kinpá kinpaova varemyara?
Who PRON.NOM.SG who PRON.ACC.SG love PRES.ACT.3p SG

2) Who is loved by whom?

Kinpá kinpaay varemyira?
Who PRON.NOM.SG who PRON.ABL.SG love PRES.PASS.3p SG

3) Who said what to whom?

Kinpá kiinova kinpaese ruvyava?
Who PRON.NOM.SG what PRON.ACC.SG who PRON.DAT.SG say PRES.ACT.PAST.3p SG

German
Wer liebt wen?
Wer wird von wem geliebt?
Wer sagte was zu wem?

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Creyeditor
"Thoughts are free."
Produce, Analyze, Manipulate
1 2 3 4
/w/,/l/;/ɭ/,/f/;/c/,/k/;/t/;;/e/,/u/;/i/

In Aloha:

1) kah kim áyati?
/kʌh ki majɐti/
who-NOM(sg) who-ACC(sg) love.3p-SG
Who loves whom?

2) kut kvid eyat?
/kʊʔkʋi dɛjɐtʰ/
who-NOM(sg) whom-INSTR(sg) is loved-3p-SG
Who is loved by whom?

3) kah kas tha kim ahayat?
/kʊh kəs tʰə ki mɐhəjɐtʰ/
who-NOM what-SBJ " who-ACC pst.express.3p-SG
Who said what to whom?

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Talaṃs kalakena rāmah, saktalam pegna bhūmavic ca.
See a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower.
Omkāṃs tava sutvantayam pharo, Omnem leya jeya ca.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour.