Editing Interrogative (section)

===Syntax===
The main [[syntax|syntactic]] devices used in various languages for marking questions are changes in [[word order]] and addition of [[interrogative word]]s or particles.

In some modern Western European languages, questions are marked by switching the verb with the subject ([[Inversion (grammar)|inversion]]), thus changing the canonical [[word order]] pattern from [[subject–verb–object|SVO]] to [[verb–subject–object|VSO]]. For example, in [[German grammar|German]]:
* {{lang|de|Er liebt mich.}} ("he loves me"; declarative)
* {{lang|de|Liebt er mich?}} ("does he love me?", literally "loves he me?"; interrogative)

Similar patterns are found in other [[Germanic languages]] and [[French grammar|French]]. In the case of [[Modern English]], inversion is used, but can only take place with a limited group of verbs (called [[auxiliary verb|auxiliaries]] or "[[special verb]]s"). In sentences where no such verb is otherwise present, the auxiliary ''do'' (''does'', ''did'') is introduced to enable the inversion (for details see [[do-support|''do''-support]], and {{slink|English grammar|Questions}}. Formerly, up to the late 16th century, English used inversion freely with all verbs, as German still does.) For example:
* They went away. (normal declarative sentence)
* They did go away. (declarative sentence re-formed using ''do''-support)
* Did they go away? (interrogative formed by inversion with the auxiliary ''did'')

An inverted subject pronoun may sometimes develop into a verb ending, as described in the previous section with regard to Venetian.

Another common way of marking questions is with the use of a [[grammatical particle]] or an [[enclitic]], to turn a statement into a yes–no question enquiring whether that statement is true. A particle may be placed at the beginning or end of the sentence, or attached to an element within the sentence. Examples of interrogative particles typically placed at the start of the sentence include the French {{lang|fr|est-ce que}} and [[Polish grammar|Polish]] {{lang|pl|czy}}. (The English word ''whether'' behaves in this way too, but is used in [[indirect question]]s only.) The constructed language [[Esperanto]] uses the particle {{lang|eo|ĉu}}, which operates like the Polish {{lang|pl|czy}}:
* {{lang|eo|Vi estas blua.}} ("You are blue.")
* {{lang|eo|'''Ĉu''' vi estas blua?}} ("Are you blue?")

Particles typically placed at the end of the question include [[Japanese language|Japanese]] {{lang|ja|か}} {{Transliteration|ja|ka}} and [[Standard Mandarin|Mandarin]] {{lang|zh|吗}} {{Transliteration|zh|ma}}.  These are illustrated respectively in the following examples: 
*{{lang|ja|彼は日本人です}} {{Transliteration|ja|Kare wa Nihon-jin desu.}} ("He is Japanese.")
*{{lang|ja|彼は日本人です{{underline|か}}？}} {{Transliteration|ja|Kare wa Nihon-jin desu '''ka'''?}} ("Is he Japanese?")
*{{lang|zh|他是中國人}} {{Transliteration|zh|Tā shì Zhōngguórén.}} ("He is Chinese.")
*{{lang|zh|他是中國人{{underline|吗}}？}} {{Transliteration|zh|Tā shì Zhōngguórén '''ma'''?}} ("Is he Chinese?")

[[Enclitic]] interrogative particles, typically placed after the first (stressed) element of the sentence, which is generally the element to which the question most strongly relates, include the [[Russian grammar|Russian]] {{lang|ru|ли|italic=no}} {{lang|ru-latn|li}}, and the [[Latin language|Latin]] {{wikt-lang|la|-ne|nē}} (sometimes just {{lang|la|n}} in early Latin). For example:<ref name=Progovac>{{cite book|title=Negative and Positive Polarity|author=Ljiljana Progovac|pages=151&ndash;152|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1994|isbn=978-0-521-44480-4}}</ref>
* {{lang|la|Tu id veritus es.}} ("You feared that.")
* {{lang|la|Tu nē id veritus es?}} ("Did you fear that?")
This {{lang|la|ne}} usually forms a neutral yes–no question, implying neither answer (except where the context makes it clear what the answer must be). However Latin also forms yes–no questions with {{wikt-lang|la|nonne}}, implying that the questioner thinks the answer to be the affirmative, and with {{wikt-lang|la|num}}, implying that the interrogator thinks the answer to be the negative. Examples: {{lang|la|num negāre audēs?}} ("You dare not deny, do you?"; [[Catullus]] 1,4,8); {{lang|la|Mithridātēs nōnne ad Cn. Pompeium lēgātum mīsit?}} ("Didn't Mithridates send an ambassador to Gnaeus Pompey?"; [[Pompey]] 16,46).<ref name=HaleBuck>{{cite book|title=A Latin Grammar|url=https://archive.org/details/latingrammar00hale|url-access=registration|author=William G. Hale and Carl D. Buck|pages=[https://archive.org/details/latingrammar00hale/page/136 136]|year=1903|publisher=University of Alabama Press|isbn=0-8173-0350-2}}</ref>
 
In [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] and [[Malay language|Malay]], the particle {{lang|id|-kah}} is appended as a suffix, either to the last word of a sentence, or to the word or phrase that needs confirmation (that word or phrase being brought to the start of the sentence). In more formal situations, the question word ''apakah'' (formed by appending {{lang|id|-kah}} to {{lang|id|apa}}, "what") is frequently used.
* {{lang|id|Kita tersesat lagi.}} ("We are lost again.") → {{lang|id|Kita tersesat lagi'''kah'''?}} ("Are we lost again?")
* {{lang|id|Jawaban saya benar.}} ("My answer is correct.") → {{lang|id|Benar'''kah''' jawaban saya?}} ("Is my answer correct?")
* {{lang|id|Presiden sudah menerima surat itu.}} "The president has received the letter." → {{lang|id|'''Apakah''' presiden sudah menerima surat itu?}} ("Has the president received the letter?")

For [[Turkish language|Turkish]], where the interrogative particle may be considered a part of the verbal inflection system, see the previous section.

Another way of forming yes–no questions is the [[A-not-A question|A-not-A]] construction, found for example in [[Chinese language|Chinese]],<ref name=Progovac /> which offers explicit yes or no alternatives:
*{{lang|zh|他是中国人}} {{Transliteration|zh|Tā shì Zhōngguórén.}} ("He is Chinese.")
*{{lang|zh|他不是中国人}} {{Transliteration|zh|Tā bu shì Zhōngguórén.}} ("He is not Chinese.")
*{{lang|zh|他{{underline|是不是}}中国人？}} {{Transliteration|zh|Tā '''shì bu shì''' Zhōngguórén?}} ("Is he Chinese?"; literally "He is, is not Chinese")

Somewhat analogous to this is the method of asking questions in colloquial [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], which is also similar to the use of [[tag question]]s ("..., right?", "..., no?", "..., isn't it?", etc.), as occur in English and many other languages:
* {{lang|id|Kamu datang ke Indonesia, '''tidak'''?}} ("Do you come to Indonesia?"; literally "You come to Indonesia, not?")
* {{lang|id|Dia orang Indonesia, '''bukan'''?}} ("Is he Indonesian?"; literally "He is Indonesian, not?")
* {{lang|id|Mereka sudah belajar bahasa Indonesia, '''belum'''?}} ("Have they learnt Indonesian?"; literally "They have learnt Indonesian, not?")

Non-polar questions ([[wh-question|''wh''-questions]]) are normally formed using an [[interrogative word]] (''wh''-word) such as ''what'', ''where'', ''how'', etc. This generally takes the place in the syntactic structure of the sentence normally occupied by the information being sought. However, in terms of word order, the interrogative word (or the phrase it is part of) is brought to the start of the sentence (an example of [[wh-fronting|''wh''-fronting]]) in many languages. Such questions may also be subject to subject–verb inversion, as with yes–no questions. Some examples for English follow:
*You are (somewhere). (declarative word order)
*Where are you? (interrogative: ''where'' is fronted, subject and verb are inverted)
*He wants (some book). (declarative) 
*What book does he want? (interrogative: ''what book'' is fronted, subject and verb are inverted, using [[do-support|''do''-support]])

However ''wh''-fronting typically takes precedence over inversion: if the interrogative word is the subject or part of the subject, then it remains fronted, so inversion (which would move the subject after the verb) does not occur:
*Who likes chips?
*How many people are coming?

Not all languages have ''wh''-fronting (and as for yes–no questions, inversion is not applicable in all languages). In Mandarin, for example, the interrogative word remains in its natural place ([[In situ#Linguistics|''in situ'']]) in the sentence:
*{{lang|zh|你要什麼？}} {{Transliteration|zh|Nǐ yào shénme?}} ("what do you want", literally "you want what?")

This word order is also possible in English: "You did ''what''?" (with rising intonation). (When there is more than one interrogative word, only one of them is fronted: "Who wants to order what?") It is also possible to make yes–no questions without any grammatical marking, using only intonation (or punctuation, when writing) to differentiate questions from statements – in some languages this is the only method available. This is discussed in the following section.