Back to Table of Contents
Previous Lesson Next Lesson
Printable (pdf) version of this lesson

Lesson 8: ”Wh” Questions

Vocabulary


	–á		Suffix (any): one who, doer
	bebáa		interrogative pronoun
	bo		mountain
	dan		language
	dim		container
	e–		Prefix (any): science of
	hothul		grandparent
	lawida		to be pregnant
	om		to teach
	shon		peace

We are introducing two new affixes. “Affix” is a generic term for prefixes (added to the beginning of words) and suffixes (added to the end of words). The term “affix” also includes infixes (added into the middle of words), which English doesn’t use but Láadan does somehwat.

The prefix “e–” means “science of” and is similar in meaning to the English suffix “–ology.” The suffix “–á” means “doer” or “one who...” and is rather like the English suffixes “–er” and “–ist.” You can form many useful words with the suffix “–á” and the prefix “e–”. For example, you can begin with “shon,” the word meaning “peace;” “shoná” means “peacemaker,” “eshon” means “peace science,” and “eshoná” would then be “peace scientist.” Similarly, from “om,” “to teach,” we have “omá,” “teacher” and “ehom,” “education” and “ehomá;” the last refers to a specialist in education who is not herself necessarily a teacher.

“Wh”-Questions

[Verb (Neg) CP–S]

The subject of the lesson is Wh-questions (a very English term that owes its form to the fact that most English question words start with “wh”), questions that cannot be answered with “yes” or “no.” They are very simply formed in Láadan, but look so different from their English counterparts that they are likely to be awkward for English speakers at first.

These questions begin with “Báa” like any other question, although in speech that word may not appear when it is not necessary for clarity. The item of information that is being requested appears as the pronoun “be” or one of its plural forms, plus “–báa” to mark it as interrogative.

The interrogative pronoun’s plural forms, “bezhebáa” and “benebáa” are rarely used by English speakers. They are presented mostly to ease the transition into Láadan for those who speak languages that require agreement in number between the interrogative and the items being inquired after.

Examples


	Bíi thal shon wa.		Peace is good.
	Báa thal shon?		Is peace good?
	Báa thal bebáa?		Who/what is good?

	Bíi om with wáa.		The woman teaches.
	Báa om with?		Does the woman teach?
	Báa om bebáa?		Who/what teaches?

	Bíi meháya with wa.		The women are beautiful.
	Báa meháya with?		Are the women beautiful?
	Báa áya bebáa?		Who/what is beautiful?
	Báa meháya bebáa?		Who/what are beautiful?
	Báa meháya bezhebáa? Báa meháya benebáa?		Who/what are beautiful?

	Bíi laya ra dim wi.		The container clearly is not red.
	Báa laya ra dim?		Isn’t the container red?
	Báa laya ra bebáa?		What/who isn’t red?

Exercises

Translate the following into English


1	Báa laya bebáa?
2	Báa di bebáa?
3	Báa míi bebáa?
4	Báa om bebáa?
5	Báa hal bebáa?
6	Báa lawida bebáa?

Transform the following into “Wh”-questions. Translate into English before and after the transformation.


7	Bíi balin with wa.
8	Bíi thal shon wi.
9	Bíi mehóoha hothul wa.
10	Bíi memime lezh wa.
11	Bíi héeya omá wáa.
12	Bíi áya bo wa.

Notice, in the answers to #9 and #10, that I’ve used the plural forms of “bebáa” (and pluralized the verbs to agree with them). You won’t see them often, but you should recognize them when you do.

Translate the following question into Láadan. Then answer the question in Láadan with the supplied word and translate your answer into English.


13	What thrives?	dala (plural)
14	What is alien?	dan
15	What is furry?	bud
16	Who follows?	Therísha
17	Who needleworks?	hena (plural)
18	What is open?	dim

top

Answers


1	What is red?
2	Who speaks?
3	Who is amazed?
4	Who teaches?
5	Who works?
6	Who is pregnant?

7	The woman is old.
	Báa balin bebáa?
	Who is old?
8	Peace is good (obviously).
	Báa thal bebáa?
	What/who is good?
9	The grandparents are weary.
	Báa mehóoha bezhebáa?
	Who/what are weary?
10	We (few) ask.
	Báa memime bezhebáa?
	Who (few) are asking?
11	The teacher is afraid.
	Báa héeya bebáa?
	Who is afraid?
12	The mountain is beautiful.
	Báa áya bebáa?
	What/who is beautiful?

13	Báa tháa bebáa?
	Bíi metháa dala wa.
	The plants thrive.
14	Báa née bebáa?
	Bíi née dan wi.
	The language is alien.
15	Báa shane bebáa?
	Bíi shane bud wi.
	The clothes are furry.
16	Báa doth bebáa?
	Bíi doth Therísha wa.
	Teresa follows.
17	Báa dathim bebáa?
	Bíi medathim hena wa.
	The sisters needlework.
18	Báa u bebáa?
	Bíi u dim wa.
	The container is open.

top