Datapoint Diu Indo-Portuguese/Position of interrogative phrases in content questions

In Diu Indo-Portuguese, interrogative phrases immediately precede the verb group (including close-knit verb phrase modifiers, such as preverbal Tense-Aspect markers or clausal negators), i.e. they occur in preverbal focus position. Therefore, they are not by definition clause-initial, and only occur in that position in the elliptic absence of any potentially preceding constituents such as the subject or various adjuncts.

Very rarely, elements normally occurring in clause-initial position (e.g. subjects, adverbials) are displaced to postverbal position so that the interrogative phrase appears initially; this is by no means the default strategy and, at any rate, it never challenges the rule that interrogative phrases occupy the preverbal focus position.

Values

Interrogative phrase not initial

Example 39-13:
Use də ki tə fika med?
Use
2sg
of
ki
what
ipfv.npst
fik-a
become-inf
med?
fear
What are you afraid of?

Source: Cardoso 2009: 203

Example 39-29:
Use õt kom nã vey?
Use
2
õt
yesterday
kom
why/how
neg
vey?
come.pst
Why didn't you come yesterday?

Source: Cardoso 2009: 202

Example 39-30:
Ali nɔs uki tiŋ brĩka?
Ali
there
nɔs
1pl
uki
what
t-iŋ
ipfv-pst
brĩk-a?
play-inf
What were we playing there?

Source: Cardoso 2004-2008

Confidence:
Very certain