[Lingtyp] Polarity-reversing particle

[Kilu von Prince]

Dear Elena,

Bislama uses "si", most likely from French.

Best,
Kilu

On Mon, Jan 7, 2019 at 3:57 PM Åshild Næss <ashild.nass at iln.uio.no> wrote:

> Dear Elena,
>
> the Oceanic language Äiwoo (Solomon Islands) has a particle with this
> function (thanks for teaching me the term 'polarity-reversing particle',
> it's noted for future use!). Its form is bä [bæ], contrasting with negative
> ba, and it can be used to reverse the polarity of both positive and
> negative questions:
>
> Mu-waamou?
> 2MIN-quarrel
> 'Did you argue?'
>
> Bä, ba me-waamou=gu
> REV NEG 1AUG-quarrel=NEG
> 'No, we didn't argue.'
>
> Ba-ngä mi-ku-wä ngä stoa?
> NEG-yet 2MIN-IPFV-go to store
> 'Haven't you gone to the store yet?'
>
> Bä, i-wä=to
> REV 1MIN-go=ASP
> 'Yes, I've gone.'
>
> Best,
>
> Åshild
>
>
> Åshild Næss
>
> Professor i lingvistikk/Professor of Linguistics
> Email: ashild.nass at iln.uio.no
> Tel. (+47) 22 84 40 93
> Kontor/Office: HW531
>
> Institutt for lingvistiske og nordiske studier
> Postboks 1102 Blindern
> 0317 Oslo
>
>
>
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Lingtyp [mailto:lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org] On
> Behalf Of
> >Elena Moser
> >Sent: Monday, January 07, 2019 3:22 PM
> >To: lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
> >Subject: [Lingtyp] Polarity-reversing particle
> >
> >Dear all,
> >
> >
> >
> >Do you know of a polarity-reversing particle in the language(s) you
> >speak/work on?
> >
> >
> >
> >A short definition and examples follow below.
> >
> >
> >
> >Polarity-reversing particles are particles that function as positive
> answers to
> >negative questions; however, in contrast to other answer particles such
> as yes
> >and no, they specifically express disagreement with the negative
> proposition
> >of the questions.
> >
> >Some examples come below. The abbreviation REV indicates a polarity-
> >reversing particle. This term was coined by Holmberg (2016: 6).
> >
> >
> >
> >Swedish
> >
> >Q. Är det inte varm idag?
> >
> >[is it not hot today]
> >
> >It’s not hot today?
> >
> >
> >
> >A. Jo (det är det)!
> >
> >[REV it is it]
> >
> >Yes, it is!
> >
> >
> >
> >German
> >
> >Q. Hast du deine Hausaufgaben nicht gemacht?
> >
> >[have you your homework not done]
> >
> >Have you not done your homework?
> >
> >
> >
> >A. Doch (gestern schon)!
> >
> >[REV yesterday already]
> >
> >Yes, (I have already done them yesterday) !
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >French
> >
> >Q. Il n’est pas là Basil?
> >
> >[he NEG=be NEG here B. ]
> >
> >Isn’t Basil here?
> >
> >
> >
> >A. Si!
> >
> >[REV]
> >
> >Yes, he is!
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Hungarian
> >
> >Q. Ők nem beszélnek angolul?
> >
> >[3PL no speak.3PL English]
> >
> >They don’t speak English?
> >
> >
> >
> >A. De.
> >
> >[REV]
> >
> >Yes, they do.
> >
> >
> >
> >Data from a previous cross-linguistic investigation on answers to polarity
> >questions suggest that polarity-reversing particles are predominantly
> found in
> >Germanic languages (see Moser 2018). This result is congruent with
> findings in
> >Da Milano’s (2004) study on the Mediterranean area. However, currently,
> >there is no good cross-linguistic dataset about this feature;
> consequently, a
> >broader assessment of its distribution is not warranted.
> >
> >For my final project at the master’s level, I want to explore the
> distribution of
> >polarity-reversing particles in a more in-depth study. In order to do
> this, I will
> >make use of all resources available to me (reference grammars,
> etymological
> >dictionaries, language corpora, etc.). Because information on polarity-
> >reversing particles is scarce, I greatly appreciate any help.
> >
> >
> >
> >References:
> >
> >Da Milano, Federica. 2004. Le domande sì/no nelle lingue del mediterraneo.
> >Archivio Glottologico Italiano, 1. 3–40.
> >
> >Holmberg, Anders. 2016. The syntax of yes and no. Oxford: Oxford
> University
> >Press.
> >
> >Moser, Elena V. 2018. Answers to Polarity Questions: A Typological Study.
> >Retrieved 2018-09-20, http://www.diva-
> >portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1219275/fulltext02.pdf.
>
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>


-- 
Dr. Kilu von Prince

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Unter den Linden 6
10099 Berlin
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