Datapoint Kriol/Position of interrogative phrases in content questions

Interrogative phrases in Kriol are usually fronted. In situ interrogative phrases are marginal in terms of frequency but do occur.

Values

Interrogative phrase initial Frequency: 90.0%

Example 25-81:
Hu dijan im kaminap? – Rong pleis im go jet gardiya!
Hu
who
dijan
prox:adj
im
3sg
kam-in-ap?
come-prog2-up
Rong
wrong
pleis
place
im
3sg
go
go
jet
dem
gardiya!
non.Aboriginal
Who's this coming? – He's going to the wrong place, the white person!
Example 25-82:
Wotaim yu gota go hom [...] kantri?
Wotaim
when
yu
2sg
gota
fut/oblig
go
go
hom
home
[...]
[...]
kantri?
country
When will you go home to [your] country?
Example 25-83:
We yu go, wijei jed pleis?
We
where
yu
3sg
go,
go
wij-ei
which-dir
jed
dem
pleis?
place
Where do you go, which way is that place?
Example 25-84:
Wot hi got, bideo, o wot?
Wot
what
hi
3sg
got,
got
bideo,
video
o
or
wot?
what
What does she have, a video, or what? (referring to someone's mobile phone)
Example 25-85:
Wot fo im krainabat thet lil gel, yubala bin hitim?
Wot
what
fo
for
im
3sg
kra-in-abat
cry-prog2-prog
thet
dem
lil
little
gel,
girl
yubala
2pl
bin
pst
hit-im?
hit-tr
Why is she crying, this little girl, did you hit her?
Example 25-87:
Wanim dea yu gugumbat?
Wanim
what
dea
there
yu
2sg
gug-um-bat?
cook-tr-prog
What are you cooking there?

Source: Sandefur and Sandefur 1982: 65

Example 25-89:
Hau wi bin go? – Bas maidi.
Hau
how
wi
1pl.excl
bin
pst
go?
go
Bas
bus
maidi.
maybe
How did we go? – Maybe (by) bus.

Source: Angelo et al. 1998

Confidence:
Very certain

Interrogative phrase not initial Frequency: 10.0%

Example 25-86:
Imin gibit langa wijan?
Im=in
3sg=pst
gibit
give
langa
loc
wijan?
which:one
Who did he give it to?

Source: Sandefur 1979: 98

Example 25-88:
Bikos wi bin kamap wotaim? – Maidi ten aklak iya, im maidi leven aklak.
Bikos
because
wi
1pl
bin
pst
kamap
come
wotaim?
when
Maidi
maybe
ten
ten
aklak
o'clock
iya,
here
im
3sg
maidi
maybe
leven
eleven
aklak.
o'clock
Because we arrived when? – Maybe [around] 10 o'clock here, it might be 11 o'clock.

Source: Angelo et al. 1998

Confidence:
Intermediate