Editing Interrogative word (section)

=== Australian Aboriginal languages ===
Interrogative [[pronoun]]s in [[Australian Aboriginal languages]] are a diverse set of lexical items with functions extending far beyond simply the formation of questions (though this is one of their uses). These pronominal [[Stem (linguistics)|stems]] are sometimes called '''ignoratives''' or '''epistememes''' because their broader function is to convey differing degrees of perceptual or [[Epistemic modality|epistemic]] certainty. Often, a singular ignorative stem may serve a variety of interrogative functions that would be expressed by different lexical items in, say, English through contextual variation and interaction with other [[Morphology (linguistics)|morphology]] such as [[Grammatical case|case-marking]]. In [[Jingulu language|Jingulu]], for example, the single stem ''nyamba'' may come to mean 'what', 'where', 'why' or 'how' through combination with [[Locative case|locative]], [[Dative case|dative]], [[Ablative case|ablative]], and [[Instrumental case|instrumental]] case suffixes:

{{Interlinear|indent=3|nyamba nyamarni manjku|IGNOR 2SG.ERG skin.name|What [[Australian Aboriginal kinship|skin]] are you?}}
{{Interlinear|indent=3|nyamba-mbili-kaji mankiyi-mindi-ju|IGNOR-LOC-through sit-1DU.INCL-do|Where are we sitting?}}
{{Interlinear|indent=3|Nyamba-rna arrkuja-nga-nku-ju|IGNOR-DAT scratch-1SG-REFL-do|Why are you scratching?}}
{{Interlinear|indent=3|Nyamba-arndi-kaji nya-rriyi-rni|IGNOR-INST-through 2SG-go.FUT-FOC|How will you go?}}

(Adapted from Pensalfini<ref>Pensalfini, Rob. 2003. ''A Grammar of Jingulu : an Aboriginal language of the Northern Territory''. Canberra ACT: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University.</ref>)

Other closely related languages, however, have less interrelated ways of forming wh-questions with separate [[lexeme]]s for each of these wh-pronouns. This includes [[Wardaman language|Wardaman]], which has a collection of entirely unrelated interrogative stems: ''yinggiya'' 'who', ''ngamanda'' 'what', ''guda'' 'where', ''nyangurlang'' 'when', ''gun.garr-ma'' 'how many/what kind'.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Merlan, Francesca.|title=A grammar of Wardaman : a language of the Northern Territory of Australia|date=1994|publisher=Mouton de Gruyter|isbn=3-11-012942-6|location=Berlin|oclc=28926390}}</ref>

Mushin (1995)<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mushin|first=Liana|date=June 1995|title=Epistememes in Australian languages∗|journal=Australian Journal of Linguistics|language=en|volume=15|issue=1|pages=1–31|doi=10.1080/07268609508599514|issn=0726-8602}}</ref> and Verstraete (2018)<ref>{{Citation|last=Verstraete|first=Jean-Christophe|title='Perhaps' in Cape York Peninsula|date=2018-09-10|work=Aspects of Linguistic Variation|pages=247–268|editor-last=Olmen|editor-first=Daniël|place=Berlin, Boston|publisher=De Gruyter|doi=10.1515/9783110607963-010|isbn=978-3-11-060796-3|editor2-last=Mortelmans|editor2-first=Tanja|editor3-last=Brisard|editor3-first=Frank|doi-access=free|hdl=1885/170669|hdl-access=free}}</ref> provide detailed overviews of the broader functions of ignoratives in an array of languages. The latter focuses on the lexeme ''ngaani'' in many [[Paman languages|Paman Languages]] which can have a [[Wh question|Wh]]-like interrogative function but can also have a sense of epistemic indefiniteness or uncertainty like 'some' or 'perhaps;' see the following examples from [[Umpithamu language|Umpithamu]]:

'''Wh-question'''
{{Interlinear|indent=3|Ngaani-ku mi'athi-ngka{{=}}uurra-athungku|IGNOR-DAT cry-PRS{{=}}2PL.NOM-1SG.ACC|Why are you all crying for me?}}

'''[[Adjunct (grammar)|Adnominal]] / [[Determiner]]'''
{{Interlinear|indent=3|yukurun ngaani yitha-n{{=}}antyampa kuura|gear IGNOR leave-PST{{=}}1PL.EXCL.NOM behind|We left some gear behind}}

'''[[Adverbial]]'''
{{Interlinear|indent=3|Yupa miintha iluwa ngaani ngama-l|today good 3SG.NOM IGNOR see-IMPERF|Perhaps she is better today.}}
(Verstraete 2018)