2.2.4.2. Demonstrative Pronouns:

       Demonstrative pronouns are not noun substitutes.  But they function as noun attributes.  Also they function as nouns.  Also they are `deictic' to some extent.  Here there is no distinction between the 3<sup>rd</sup> person neuter pronouns and these demonstrative pronouns.  Taking the 3<sup>rd</sup> person neuter form `tƏw `it',`proximate' and `remote' special distinctions are obtained by sing ha and u- respectively.  These are prefixed to tƏw; so ha-tƏw `this', u-tƏw         `that'. In narrations this distinction is hardly maintained.  Very frequently only the 3<sup>rd</sup> person, neuter form tƏw itself is used for both `proximate' and `remote' distinctions.  Also, for `remote' without u-also conveys the same sense.  But sometimes both are used to distinguish further into `visible' (utƏw) and `invisible' (tƏw).

       When the demonstrative pronoun is used with a noun, it occurs before the noun, eg.-

       hatƏw lay    `this book'

       utƏw nòk     `this house, etc.

       Plural demonstratives are obtained by suffixing the plural marker-lan to the to the demonstratives.

       eg.-  hàtƏlan      `these'

              utƏwlan      `those'

       When these demonstrative pronouns are used with the locative noun kƏn `place', the second syllable of the demonstrative becomes optional.  The resultant form is also a noun.

       hà(tƏw) kƏn       `place'

       Similarly if a case marker is used, then the locative noun kƏn can be used optionally, eg.-

    

 

 

Similarly :

              tƏwkƏnmƏpu                 from there

              utƏwkƏnme                   `at there' etc.

     

But with other case suffixes (other than dative and locative), it is not possible to drop both tƏw and kƏn.  Only either of them can be dropped. eg.

      

     

 

When the noun phrase is in plural, the plural marker is added not to the demonstrative, but to the noun.  But if an adjective follows the noun, the plural is added to the adjective and not to the noun.

       eg.-

       hàtƏw ka?ta                          `this person' (hàtƏw `this'

                                                                           ka?ta `person'

       hàtƏw ka?talan                      `these people (lan `pl. marker')

       hàtƏw ka?tayòŋlan                `these big people'

                                                    (lit. this-people-big-pl.)

       hàtƏw ka?ta Əyóŋlan             `these big people'

                                                    (lit. this people-who are big)

       Demonstrative pronouns do not have gender markers but have number markers. eg.-

       hàtƏw- lan               `these' (this + pl.)

       utƏw-  lan               `those (that + pl.)

2.2.4.3. Interrogative pronouns:

       Interrogative pronouns are those which are substitutable for nouns and pronouns concerning which information is sought.  That is, the chief function of the interrogative pronoun is to ask questions, as its name itself indicates.

       In Konyak morphologically there is no distinction between interrogative pronoun and interrogative adjective.  Same forms are used in both the functions.  But while the interrogative pronouns can take number and case markers, interrogative adjective cannot take these markers.  The basic monomorphemic interrogative forms are the following –

       1) Əw `who', 2) hƏŋ `what', 3) Əm `where' (general) 4) apu `where' (specific).

       It is possible to indicate different shades of meaning such as indicating definiteness, indefiniteness etc., by adding certain bound elements to the above forms (except for the last form which does not take any).

                            -hi      -si      -yin    -ke     -pe     -sin    -ne                  -pu

1.    Əw `who'       Əwhi  Əwsi  Əwyin          Əwpe Əwsin

                                               (when many `when' how much people

                                               are involved).

2.    hƏŋ `what'     hƏŋhi           hƏŋke          hƏŋsin         hƏŋne

                            (specific)     `how'           `how            `why'

                                                                  much'

3.    Əm  `where'                                                            Əmpu

                                                                                     `where/which'

A note on hƏŋ:

       When hƏŋ occurs with motion verbs, it conveys, a sense of location `where', eg.: hƏŋ-kay-ki `where (are you) going?' and when it occurs with action verbs, it conveys a sense of `what', eg. –hƏŋ-ha?-ki `what do (you) eat?'.

       As stated above interrogative pronouns can take number and case markers-

i)          Number:

       Əw-lan `who' (pl.); hƏŋtan `what' (pl.); etc.

ii)    Case:

       (a)   Əw-me             `at whom'

              Əw-te              `to whom'

              Əw-mƏpu        `from whom'

       (b)   hƏŋ-te              `to what'

              hƏŋ-mƏpu        `from what'

       (c)   Əm-me             `at whose'

              Əm-(pu)-te       `to where'

              Əm-(pu)-mƏpu `from where'

2.2.4.4.  Indefinite pronouns:

      The indefinite pronouns some what resemble the demonstratives, but they differ from them in that they indicate objects not by pointing them out specifically, but in a more general and indefinite way.

       Indefinite pronouns are formed by using the indefinite adjective ƏtƏm `some' and the numeral adjective `one' with or without noun derivatives.

eg.-

       ƏtƏmca                   `someone/body'

       toyƏtƏm                  `something'                  (toy, n. `thing')

       cipƏw*

       Without ƏtƏm also can be used- then the numeral adjective ca `one' is reduplicated. eg.-

 

       cacapa                    `anyone/body', also:

      cao cao                   `anything'

       It is also possible to use lili `all' with ka? Ta `people' and toy `thing', to produce indefinite        pronous. eg.-

       ka?talili                    `everybody/one'

       toylili                       `everthing'

       In case of `location' a bound marker phi is used with (Ə)kƏn `place' to produce above type of locational indefinite forms. eg.-

       Əkenphi                   `everywhere'

       ƏkƏnca                   `somewhere' (by using ca the area is restricted)

       It is also possible to reduplicate the above indefinite location form.  The resultant form is also same.  Then only the `emphasis' will be on it.

       The negative indefinite pronouns like `nobody / one' is obtained in clausal structure (see sec. 3.2.2.1).