Priyanka Naik

H00MALNG20210079

Identify TWO Wh-Interrogatives which occur most commonly/frequently in your mother

tongue (L1)?
ANS: The 2 most used Wh- interrogatives are- a. kɒɳ̆ɒ helɑ ‘what happened?’ and b. ka͡ɪk̃ ɪ
‘why’.

Identify TWO Yes/No Interrogatives which occur most commonly/frequently in your mother

tongue (L2)? 
ANS: The 2 most used Yes/No- interrogatives are- a. kɒɾɪt͡ɕu ‘have you done’ and b. khaɪt͡ ɕu
‘have you eaten’.

Briefly describe all the contexts of situations (5, or more than 5 contexts) in which each of

the Wh-Interrogative or Yes/No Interrogative occurs? In a word or phrase, identify
the meaning (probably, attitudinal meaning) that is being expressed.
ANS: For kɒɳ̆ɒ helɑ ‘what happened?’ –
1. For any utterance, one would naturally expect to have that realised in both formal and
informal contexts, but this doesn’t apply to this wh-interrogative mentioned above. We
know what generally constitutes a formal situation, is the environment and the
participants who are participating in that conversation. So, a formal situation generally
involves participants like elders, teachers, some guest at home, someone at a higher
stature than you, or some stranger etc. In such situations, one whose mother tongue is
Odia can’t ask this to someone right away. That’s considered rude and impolite. Even if
we have to ask to a stranger who’s at the door and you don’t know him then you have to
ask like:
ɑɟɑ̃ kuhɒntu, kɒɳ̆ɒ helɑ
Yes, tell me, what happened? (or ‘Yes, what do you want?’)

So, to say particularly, we can’t say just this utterance in any formal situation to a person
because it makes one sound rude to the other. But, as mentioned above, we can use this
utterance if we use it with another utterance which kind of moderates the effect of the
isolated utterance ‘kɒɳ̆ɒ helɑ’ (which, thus concluded, is always used as such, only in
informal situations.
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2. Thus, if I take a formal situation like I go to a bank for something and the attendant upon
seeing me, may ask me “ɑɟɑ̃ kuhɒntu, kɒɳ̆ɒ helɑ”, because he can’t ask me only “kɒɳ̆ɒ
helɑ” for it sounds rude, as I have already pointed out. So, in this case, we can say this
utterance is said to ask for information, but also makes you sound polite.
3. The neutral way of asking in which one can pick up to say only the utterance “kɒɳ̆ɒ helɑ”
is when someone just wants some information from anyone else (without any other
emotions or sub-context attached to it). Then it would mean something like a matter-of-
fact question, to demand some information. But, again, only to utter this needs the
situation to be informal. And thus, from this onwards all the other contexts explained
below are necessarily informal ones.
4. If the mother is too busy and the child asks her mother repeatedly to help her in her
homework even if her mother knows that the child should be able to do this for, she had
recently taught that portion to the child thoroughly the other day, and her mother still
can’t help the child for she’s really busy, then the mother can get irritated to say this
utterance in kind of a low tone. This utterance then, won’t demand any information, but
actually shows the irritation of the mother.
5. If someone stays in the hostel with one roommate, and one day when she comes after
class, she finds her roommate crying and people surrounding her consoling her, then she
might ask this to all to show fear of what might have happened to her roommate that
she’d crying this bad. This utterance, then, both works as a demand for information and
also shows fear.
6. Suppose a child goes to her mother crying for something. The mother thus can ask the
child why is she crying in a very cajoling way to console her and make her say the
reason. But the tone and the way that the mother chooses to say this utterance in, is
what makes it different as this also works in comforting the child.
7. Suppose you suddenly hear bad news- such as- someone dear to you have met an
accident and you are so shocked to know this that you utter this to show the shock
even if you know the answer to the question you are going to utter and you are not
actually asking this to get the answer to the question once again (i.e., the news of the
accident). This, thus, actually shows that you are shocked.
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8. Suppose you arrive at home for a long vacation and the moment you arrive your sister
announces to you that she has cracked the entrance exam to study in the university
that she had always dreamt of! And everyone in the family knew this already since a
few days except you, for your sister wanted to give you a surprise. Upon hearing this,
you feel like you can’t believe what you heard and you utter ‘kɒɳ̆ ɒ helɑ’ in a high-
pitched tone not ask for someone to utter what you heard just now, rather to show
your surprise and delight . This shows that to show your surprise, you can utter this
string too.
9. Suppose you mother had asked you to keep a look on the milk which is on the stove
while she has to do some other chores. She asked you to keep an eye on the milk until
it comes to a full boil once, and then to switch off the gas. You do, as instructed by
your mother, and thus wait near the stove, standing, until the milk comes to a boil.
But you get distracted by a phone call you receive and when you just go outside the
kitchen leaving the milk, to pick up the phone, the milk comes to a boil, and it spills!
You see that and come hurriedly to the kitchen to switch off the gas. Then you muster
up some courage to tell your mother about this. When you say this to your mother,
she just boils with anger for you couldn’t complete just one simple task that you were
assigned and she, upon hearing this, may utter this utterance in a very high-pitched
tone, to show her anger and not to ask for information (about what had just happened
and you already told her).
10. Suppose you notice one of your friends being quite silent since a few days keeping to
herself all the time, which you find unusual. Then you go up to het to ask if there’s
any problem that she would like to share. She acts in front you as if nothing’s
happened, in a way like putting up an act to not show her real feelings. Still, you
sense there’s something wrong and also that she might be afraid to share with you.
Thus, to assure her that she can trust you and tell you whatever bothers, you ask her
this utterance in a low kind of fall to show your concern for her and to comfort her.
11. Suppose you had an exam and you performed badly. Then you are sitting in your
room while you friend comes all excited to share with you her experience of her stay
at home for, she’d gone home for a week on leave. She has not noticed your mood,
but just starts blabbering her head out. And suddenly when she realises something’s
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off, she starts asking you repeatedly whether you were actually listening to her not.
After a time, you realise that you can’t ignore her anymore, and thus finally you make
the effort to utter this in a very level tone to show that you are actually very much
disinterested in whatever’s happening surrounding you because your mood is off. This
may, though, either make your friend upset or concerned.

For ka͡ɪk̃ ɪ ‘why’-

1. There can, obviously, be a very neutral way of asking this question. For example, you
said to your friend that you won’t be going to the class today and she then just asks you
this to demand the reason behind not going to the class.
2. Suppose there is one entrance exam today that you have to appear and you have to take a
clip board to write the paper. But suddenly you find it’s missing and thus you ask your
sister to give you hers. But she is very possessive of her things to share it with you. So,
you go to your father to tell all these. Then your father asks your sister to lend you the
board. But then she says this utterance at very high pitch and intensity too to show her
denial of giving her things to her!
3. Suppose your friend comes hurriedly and tensed, to tell you that she did very badly in the
exam the day. And then, you ask this utterance 1st to her genuinely to know the reason
behind this, and she tells you that she had missed a few classes for she was unwell, but
when she got to know about this surprise test, she asked one of her classmates to share
notes with her to make up for the missed lessons. Her classmate had agreed to that
initially but later when your friend actually went to her asking for her notes before the
exam she denied. So, this shocked you and thus you say ka͡ɪk̃ ɪ in a very high-pitched way
to show shock and confusion at the same time.
4. Suppose you want your friend’s dress for one day to go outside on an outing and you
have already asked her for this. So, on the day, you go to her and ask her for the dress
so that you can get ready. But then your friend is in real mood to pull your leg at that
time. So, she just starts irritating you by saying this utterance multiple times in a
funny way to irritate you purposefully , to enjoy it.
5. (Same as the utterance kɒɳ̆ɒ helɑː works) Suppose a child goes to her mother crying
for something. The mother thus can ask the child why is she crying in a very cajoling
way to console her and make her say the reason. But the tone and the way that the
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mother chooses to say this utterance in, is what makes it different as this also works in
comforting the child.
6. As described in the 11 th context above (with the 1 st wh-question) this utterance can
also, in kind of a similar context, be used to express disinterestedness of a speaker.

For kɒɾɪt͡ɕu ‘have you done’-

As far as I can think of this can be called as the most asked yes/no question in Odia.
Because, this has to do with the verb that means ‘doing something’ which can be coupled
with any other verb too, because of its varying meanings depending on the context.
1. This utterance can again be used to demand for an answer if someone’s asking
someone else about whether he/she has done something or not, very genuinely, in a
neutral context.
2. Suppose your class have been given an assignment, but you totally have forgotten
about that. You reach the class and see everyone except you, with an assignment copy
in their hands. You turn towards your friend after you realise your situation to ask her
if she’s completed it or not, though, half-expecting her not have done that. This shows
that you are getting nervous about the assignment. So, you ask her in a very low tone
and whispering kind of way:
t̪ u kɒɾɪ deɪt͡ ɕu
Have you done?
3. Suppose you knew about the assignment but you didn’t have the time to do that. So,
at the last moment you go to your friend expecting that she might have done it. And
when you ask her for the same, she just goes on rattling about how interesting this
assignment was and how intelligently (according to her) she has done it. Thus, you
just get irritated because you don’t have to listen all these, as you have to complete
the assignment within time. So, to show your irritation and impatience you ask her in
a high fall kind of tone and elongating last question particle ‘ki:’, like this:
t̪ u kɒɾɪt͡ɕu kiː
Have you done?
4. Suppose you had asked you friend to make a bookmark for you, because she makes
beautiful handmade bookmarks. Though, you didn’t expect her to actually make one for
you, and that too this quick, but you find out she’s has actually made one and that too a
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very beautiful one! Thus, to show your delight and excitement you ask her with kind of a
high-pitched rise, again elongating the question particle ‘ki:’, this:
t̪ u kɒɾɪ deɪt͡ ɕu kiː
Have you done?
5. Suppose you’re expecting a guest at home who’s really special to your parents and
they have quite a few arrangements for them, including, obviously, food. You were
really excited to see so many tasty dishes and you wanted to taste it really bad, but
you can’t wait for the guest to come, anymore. Thus, you sneak into the kitchen, but
unfortunately you just disarranged the plating that your mother had done, in the
process of eating food. And finally, when your mother finds out this, she gets very
angry and knows already that it’s you who’s done it! But she still may ask you in a
very high pitch tone to show her anger, this:
t̪ u kɒɾɪt͡ɕu eɪtɑ?
Have you done this?

For khaɪt͡ ɕu ‘have you eaten’-

Even if the usage in different context seems to be quite limited because this content word,
in my opinion, can’t be used much show much emotions in varied situations! Yet, this can be
said to be very frequently used.
1. Every mother is obviously obsessed with whether her child’s stomach is filled or not.
Whether you are in a situation in which eating comes at the very bottom of your
priority list, but for your mother it would be the most important thing, even if you say
you’re not hungry. So, a mother always keeps asking this question to ensure whether
you have eaten or not. This is obviously to demand the information .
2. And the same mother is the one who will never let the guest leave the house without
eating anything! The obsession with someone has eaten anything or not is even
clearer in this case- though, the way to ask changes. Because the guest should be
behaved well with, and treated more formally . So, in this case she will ask:
ɑpɒɳ̆ɒ khaɪ-t͡ɕ-ɒntɪ
you (honorific.formal) eat-pres. perf-2PS (honorific)
Have you eaten?
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3. But then if the guest is someone of your age (your friend, and thus, much younger than
your mother, then she might ask this way:
t̪ ɒme khaɪ-t͡ɕ-ɒ
you (honorific.informal) eat-pres. perf-2PS(honorific)
Have you eaten?
So, this, in a way, shows the behaviour of one who is elder when she or he is talking to
someone younger than them. This shows the tone may change based on the age group of
the participant in a conversation.
4. Suppose you were outside for long and when you come home late, which was unexpected
by your mother, then you may find your other already angry. And she might already
know that you are careless to have eaten well outside and thus she may just ask in an
irritated way, in kind of low tone, the utterance: khaɪt͡ɕu – not to demand an answer but to
show her irritation.

So, these can be considered to be the 2 most used wh-interrogative and 2 most used yes/no
question in Odia, and the varied contexts in which these can be used to show varied emotions
of the speaker.