Universal #1117

Legacy number: 1117

 Number  1113
 Original  Wh-in-situ languages have special markings in yes-no questions, and languages with special markings in yes-no questions are wh-in-situ languages.
 Standardized  IF there is no syntactic wh-movement, THEN there is special marking in yes-no questions, and vice versa.
 Formula  special marking in yes-no questions ⇔ no syntactic wh-movement
 Keywords  interrogative, question particle, wh-movement
 Domain  syntax, morphology
 Type  mutual implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  languages in Cheng 1991
 Source  Cheng 1991: 21

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Discussion
Counterexamples
Agta (W. Malayo-Polynesian, Austronesian), Chontal (Hokan), Diola (Atlantic, Niger-Congo), Scottish Gaelic (Celtic, Indo-European): all VSO languages, showing syntactic wh-movement (i.e. question words are sentence-initial) and using question particles (Ultan 1978c: 232).
Notes
Cf. ##495, 499, 670.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Cf. <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=495"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=499"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=670"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">.