Interrogative particle and phrasal pitch-accent in polar questions in Fa d’Ambô

Abstract

Here we present linguistic strategies for asking polar questions in Fa d’Ambô (FA). We discuss the use of the final interrogative particle a, as well as the association between phrasal pitch-accent and the last mora of the final prosodic word of the sentence, with a possible change in word accent and rising intonation. The interrogative permits use of the particle a for polar questions, but it cannot be used in WH-questions. Previous studies have not addressed this question (Barrena, 1957; Post, 1995; Zamora, 2010), or have stated that polar interrogatives are constructed as declarative sentences (Post, 1995). We also maintain that in FA, stressed words at the end of a polar question differ from those in other positions, and that the pitch-accent is attracted to the right edge of the sentence, which has not yet been documented in a top-down language (Gordon, 2014). Additionally, we offer further evidence of the presence of this phenomenon in the Proto-Creole of the Gulf of Guinea (PGG), as well as influence from Niger-Congo substrate languages (especially from the Sudanic belt) in the Gulf, since this is an area-related feature of this group.

Keywords
Particles; Fa d'Ambô; Polar Questions; Creole Languages; Phonology; Syntax