Marking of dependent polar questions
Polar questions can be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (or any synonyms for these that the language may use). This parameter only considers neutral questions1, which do not imply a particular answer.2 A question is considered dependent if it is subordinate to a main clause whose lexical verb indicates a question, and if the question is not a direct quote (as in X asked whether…). This parameter considers the marking of dependent polar questions. Prototypical sentences that should be analyzed contain a predicate in the third person.3
Types:
Pq: Dependent and independent polar questions are structurally identical.
(InitCpl): The only structural difference between dependent and independent polar questions is the optional use of a clause-initial subordinating complementizer with the former.
InitCpl: The only structural difference between dependent and independent polar questions is the obligatory use of a clause-initial subordinating complementizer with the former.
(FinalCpl): The only structural difference between dependent and independent polar questions is the optional use of a clause-final or clause-medial subordinating complementizer with the former.
FinalCpl: The only structural difference between dependent and independent polar questions is the obligatory use of a clause-final or clause-medial subordinating complementizer with the former.
Cpl=V: Dependent polar questions are marked by the use of a question verb, which can appear as either a finite verb or a nonfinite verb form.4
(Q): The only structural difference between dependent and independent polar questions is the optional use of a question particle with the former.
Q: The only structural difference between dependent and independent polar questions is the obligatory use of a question particle with the former.5
Q=or: Dependent polar questions are marked by the coordination, through the use of a question conjunction meaning ‘or,’ of an affirmative sentence and its negative equivalent.6
Else: The language uses a specific strategy.7
When a language displays more than one strategy, two values can be listed. If one strategy is dominant, a slash (/) can separate the values, with the dominant value appearing first; if neither is dominant, they are listed with an ampersand (&) separating them. The use of parentheses indicates that use of the strategy is not obligatory, while the use of a plus sign (+) instead of an ampersand indicates that the two strategies must be used simultaneously.
1: In a neutral declarative statement, the subject (or agent) of the sentence should be the topic, while the verb and any other arguments or adjuncts constitute the comment.
2: Questions that imply a specific answer, such as the tag questions “Right?” often show a different structure than neutral questions.
3: If the polar question has a non-third-person predicate (referring, for example, to the speaker or the listener), an independent question converted into a dependent question will show a change in person, such as Have you eaten? → He asked if I had eaten. These (non-structural) changes are not relevant to this parameter, and so examples should be considered in which the dependent question is derived from an originally third-person independent question, such as Is it sunny outside?→ She asked if it was sunny outside.
4: Finite verbs should be examined to determine whether they belong to the dependent question. If a question verb cannot be found in the main clause (either the same verb repeated in the dependent clause or a different verb), the verb in the subordinate clause is in fact part of the main clause.
5: The independent equivalent of the dependent question either lacks the question particle or features it optionally.
6: This value only applies if it does not apply for independent polar questions, too. Otherwise, the value should be |Pq.
7: Specific = different from the above types- In Turkish, for example, dependent polar questions feature the juxtaposition of affirmative and negative nonfinite verb forms derived from the verb of the equivalent independent question.