Abstract:
This thesis distinguishes between seven distinct strategies used across languages to form polar
questions. These strategies include the use of question particles, interrogative verb
morphology, interrogative word order, the absence of declarative morphemes, interrogative
intonation, pragmatic/semantic cues, and the use of polar alternative questions. There is great
variation between languages in which strategies are available and how they are used. The main
goal of this thesis is to investigate the key properties of the available polar question strategies
in Standard Thai and Kham Mueang.
Presenting data from a variety of languages, Chapter 1 introduces seven attested polar
question strategies and then lays out the key research objectives of this thesis. It shows that
while both Standard Thai and Kham Mueang form polar questions with what I refer to as Polar
Particle Questions (or PPQs) and Polar Alternative Questions (PAQs), each language also has
a unique configuration of other strategies. Chapter 2 demonstrates that while interrogative
intonation is an obligatory strategy in Standard Thai, it is unavailable in Kham Mueang.
Chapter 3 discusses the semantic and syntactic distribution of the polar particles in Standard
Thai and Kham Mueang. Chapter 4 then analyzes the underlying structure of PPQs and PAQs,
discussing the benefits of a polar particle analysis over a disjunction-deletion model. Chapter
5 presents the findings of recent research which proposes that polar particles can be subdivided
into three types. It then argues that Standard Thai and Kham Mueang polar particles have
unique properties which necessitate the introduction of a fourth and fifth particle type. Finally,
this chapter summarizes the findings of this thesis, which, at its core, is an examination of the
interface between semantics, syntax, and intonation.