Imperative in Interrogatives in Estonian (Kihnu), Latvian and Livonian
Imperative in Interrogatives in Estonian (Kihnu), Latvian and Livonian

Summary/Abstract: The Estonian subdialect Kihnu, Latvian and Kuronian Livonian share a type of interrogative containing morphemes whose primary function is to mark 3rd person imperatives. This construction is not attested in other ­Estonian dialects or in Standard Estonian, other than in some petrified idioms. In Kihnu and Latvian, the question type is used for deliberative questions. This interrogative type may have originally been used as a translation of German ­Kon­junktiv in embedded interrogatives, but by the desubordination process, it has spread to main clauses as well. This the most probable scenario for Estonian (Kihnu subdialect). Contacts between Kihnu and Livonian and Latvian have probably reinforced this interrogative type in terms of structural relevance and usage frequency.

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