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<P>Dear David,</P>
<P>Khasi, the Austro Asiatic language of Mon-Khmer group has the same form for Who or What. As the language offers three gramamtical gender in singular number, i.e masculine, feminine and diminutive/ honorific, but only one in plural, these interrogatives also come in four distinct forms as given below.</P>
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<OL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type=1>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">/ii-ey b<SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'SILManuscript IPA93'; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: 'SILManuscript IPA93'"><SPAN style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: 'SILManuscript IPA93'">«</SPAN></SPAN>hap’/<SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>‘who/what fell?’ [=diminutive or honorific] used for needle, baby, mouse, mice etc.</LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">/ii-ey-i-w<SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'SILManuscript IPA93'; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: 'SILManuscript IPA93'"><SPAN style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: 'SILManuscript IPA93'">«</SPAN></SPAN>n/ ‘who came [honorific, i.e. parents]?’</LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">/ka-ey/ ‘who/what’ [+fem]</LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">/uu-ey/ ‘who/what’ [-fem]</LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">/kii-ey] ‘whao/what [+pl] </LI></OL>
<P class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">with best,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">Anvita<BR><BR><BR></P>
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<DIV>Dr. Anvita Abbi </DIV>
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<DIV>Professor of Linguistics</DIV>
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<DIV>Center of Linguistics and English</DIV>
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<DIV>School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies</DIV>
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<DIV>Jawaharlal Nehru University</DIV>
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<DIV>New Delhi 110067, India</DIV>
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<DIV>Phone 26172401, 26174154[home]</DIV>
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<DIV></DIV></div><br clear=all><hr>Cricket <a href="http://g.msn.com/8HMDENIN/2731">World Cup 2003</a> News, Views and Match Reports.</html>