Phi pamphlets — Interrogative embedding: pha/pho

A question does not have to be asked to be spoken of. With pha and pho, Phi takes a question, whole and unanswered, and hands it to a verb: something wondered about, inquired after, considered, or not yet known.

01The basic structure

The structure for interrogative embedding is:

[Subject] pha [Embedded question] pho [Main verb]

The embedded question follows standard Phi word order. The main verb comes after pho.

Basic example:

mia pha shia to wepu pho phaelo

1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST go INT.COMP.CLOSE feel

(I wonder whether they left.)

Breaking this down: - mia: main clause subject (I) - pha: opens embedded question - shia to wepu, embedded clause: did they leave? - pho: closes embedded question - phaelo: main verb (wonder/feel)

02Sound symbolism

pha begins with the lips almost touching and breath slipping through the gap between them: no voice, no closure, nothing yet decided. It is the softest opening Phi has, and it suits a question you are carrying rather than putting to anyone. Then a opens and the uncertainty follows it in.

pho repeats that same breath between the lips and turns the vowel instead of the consonant. The lips round rather than spread, so the word finishes almost where it started. Nothing has been answered. The question has only been set down.

pha is a hand opening, palm up, to receive a question; pho is the same hand closing gently around it. Nothing is answered between them. The question is simply carried.

Phi has several question-related words. Understanding their differences is essential:

`wa`: Direct question particle

wa marks direct questions expecting an answer:

wa thia wepu

Q 2SG go

(Are you leaving?)

This is a real question, directed at the listener, expecting a response.

`pha`/`pho`: Embedded question complementizers

pha/pho embeds a question as the content of another verb:

mia pha thia wepu pho phaelo

1SG INT.COMP 2SG go INT.COMP.CLOSE feel

(I wonder whether you are leaving.)

This is not asking the listener to answer. It reports the speaker's state of uncertainty.

`lu`: Conditional particle

The Slot 0 particle lu frames conditional sentences (if-then):

lu thia wepu. mia so ma towe phaelo

COND 2SG go. 1SG FUT NEG well feel

(If you leave, I will not feel well.)

This is neither a question nor an embedded question. It is a hypothesis with a consequence.

Comparison

Word	Function	Example translation
`wa`	Direct question	"Are you leaving?"
`pha`/`pho`	Embedded question	"whether you are leaving"
`lu`	Conditional	"if you leave"

All three involve possibility, but: - wa seeks an answer - pha/pho expresses uncertainty as content - lu posits a hypothesis

04Verbs that take pha/pho clauses

Interrogative embedding works with several categories of verbs:

Wondering and contemplating

mia pha pheralu so shua pho phaelo

1SG INT.COMP rain FUT come INT.COMP.CLOSE feel

(I wonder whether rain will come.)

shia pha nophi shewo nai pho remo

3SG INT.COMP story true be INT.COMP.CLOSE think

(They contemplate whether the story is true.)

Asking and inquiring

shia pha mia to nila pho to thilou

3SG INT.COMP 1SG PST see INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire

(They asked whether I had seen.)

melu pha thia so turema pho to thilou

friend INT.COMP 2SG FUT return INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire

(The friend asked whether you will return.)

As with tha/tho, the frame verb carries its own tense after the closer: the asking is marked past with to while the embedded clause keeps its own time.

Knowing and not knowing

mia pha shia towe nai pho sano

1SG INT.COMP 3SG well be INT.COMP.CLOSE know

(I know whether they are well.)

lo mia pha sileta so shua pho ma sano

PL 1SG INT.COMP sun FUT come INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG know

(We do not know whether the sun will come.)

Discovering and finding out

shia pha melu to kamo pho to nila

3SG INT.COMP friend PST arrive INT.COMP.CLOSE PST see

(They discovered whether the friend had arrived.)

Caring about

wa thia pha mia towe nai pho phaelo

Q 2SG INT.COMP 1SG well be INT.COMP.CLOSE feel

(Do you care whether I am well?)

05With tense and aspect particles

The embedded question can contain any tense or aspect marking:

Past tense (`to`)

mia pha shia to kamo pho phaelo

1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST arrive INT.COMP.CLOSE feel

(I wonder whether they arrived.)

shia pha melu to naphe pho to thilou

3SG INT.COMP friend PST help INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire

(They asked whether the friend had helped.)

Future tense (`so`)

mia pha pheralu so shua pho ma sano

1SG INT.COMP rain FUT come INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG know

(I don't know whether rain will come.)

lo mia pha shia so turema pho phaelo

PL 1SG INT.COMP 3SG FUT return INT.COMP.CLOSE feel

(We wonder whether they will return.)

Habitual aspect (`ro`)

shia pha sileta ro shua pho sano

3SG INT.COMP sun HAB come INT.COMP.CLOSE know

(They know whether the sun regularly comes.)

Perfective aspect (`ki`)

mia pha shelu ki se kealo pho to nila

1SG INT.COMP book PFV PASS create INT.COMP.CLOSE PST see

(I discovered whether the book had been created.)

06With negation

Negation inside the embedded question:

mia pha shia to ma wepu pho phaelo

1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST NEG go INT.COMP.CLOSE feel

(I wonder whether they did not leave.)

Negation of the main verb:

mia pha shia to wepu pho ma sano

1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST go INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG know

(I do not know whether they left.)

Both:

mia pha shia to ma wepu pho ma sano

1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST NEG go INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG know

(I do not know whether they did not leave.)

07With modality

Possibility (`po`)

mia pha shia po shua pho phaelo

1SG INT.COMP 3SG POT come INT.COMP.CLOSE feel

(I wonder whether they might come.)

Necessity (`na`)

shia pha lo mia na wepu pho to thilou

3SG INT.COMP PL 1SG NEC go INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire

(They asked whether we must leave.)

08Complex embedded questions

The embedded question can contain full clause structure:

With transitive verbs

mia pha shia shelu kealo pho phaelo

1SG INT.COMP 3SG book create INT.COMP.CLOSE feel

(I wonder whether they create books.)

shia pha melu thia to naphe pho sano

3SG INT.COMP friend 2SG PST help INT.COMP.CLOSE know

(They know whether the friend helped you.)

With ditransitive verbs

mia pha shia wei melu shelu loa pho to nila

1SG INT.COMP 3SG DAT friend book give INT.COMP.CLOSE PST see

(I discovered whether they gave the friend a book.)

With prepositional phrases

shia pha melu mua womu nai pho to thilou

3SG INT.COMP friend LOC home be INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire

(They asked whether the friend is at home.)

09Questions about embedded questions

The main clause can itself be a question:

wa thia pha shia so turema pho sano

Q 2SG INT.COMP 3SG FUT return INT.COMP.CLOSE know

(Do you know whether they will return?)

wa shia pha mia towe nai pho to thilou

Q 3SG INT.COMP 1SG well be INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire

(Did they ask whether I am well?)

10Topic-drop with pha/pho

When the main clause subject is clear from context:

Full form:

mia pha shia to wepu pho phaelo

1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST go INT.COMP.CLOSE feel

(I wonder whether they left.)

With topic-drop:

pha shia to wepu pho phaelo

INT.COMP 3SG PST go INT.COMP.CLOSE feel

((I) wonder whether they left.)

11Embedded questions vs. embedded statements

Compare carefully:

Embedded statement (tha/tho):

mia tha shia to wepu tho sano

1SG DECL.COMP 3SG PST go DECL.COMP.CLOSE know

(I know that they left.)

The speaker asserts knowledge of a fact.

Embedded question (pha/pho):

mia pha shia to wepu pho sano

1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST go INT.COMP.CLOSE know

(I know whether they left.)

The speaker knows the answer to a question (but doesn't tell us what it is).

The difference in "not knowing":

mia tha shia to wepu tho ma sano

1SG DECL.COMP 3SG PST go DECL.COMP.CLOSE NEG know

(I don't know that they left.)

This could mean: I have no knowledge of their leaving.

mia pha shia to wepu pho ma sano

1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST go INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG know

(I don't know whether they left.)

This means: I have uncertainty about whether they left or not.

The interrogative embedding explicitly frames the content as a question to be resolved.

12Extended examples in context

A conversation about uncertainty

wa thia pha pheralu so shua pho sano

Q 2SG INT.COMP rain FUT come INT.COMP.CLOSE know

(Do you know whether rain will come?)

mia pha pheralu so shua pho ma sano

1SG INT.COMP rain FUT come INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG know

(I don't know whether rain will come.)

mia pha pheralu so shua pho ma phaelo. sileta ha nai

1SG INT.COMP rain FUT come INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG feel. sun PROX be

(I don't care whether rain will come. The sun is here.)

Reporting someone's question

shia pha thia so turema pho to thilou

3SG INT.COMP 2SG FUT return INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire

(They asked whether you will return.)

wa thia pha mia to shua pho to haolu

Q 2SG INT.COMP 1SG PST come INT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak

(Did you tell whether I had come?)

(Note: When reporting that someone asked a question, we use pha/pho. When reporting their answer or statement, we use tha/tho.)

Nested uncertainty

mia pha thia pha shia towe nai pho sano pho phaelo

1SG INT.COMP 2SG INT.COMP 3SG well be INT.COMP.CLOSE know INT.COMP.CLOSE feel

(I wonder whether you know whether they are well.)

Each pha pairs with its own pho, and the structure stays clear even in nested questions.

13Content questions (wh-questions)

The examples above involve yes/no questions. Content questions (who, what, where, when, why) work differently in Phi: the interrogative word itself signals that the clause is a question, so the clause embeds bare, with no pha/pho frame:

mia sua to shua sano

1SG who PST come know

(I know who came.)

shia thia hina to nila to thilou

3SG 2SG what PST see PST inquire

(They asked what you saw.)

lo mia shia kua nai ma sano

PL 1SG 3SG where be NEG know

(We don't know where they are.)

The interrogative word does inside the clause what pha does for yes/no questions: it announces the question. Wrapping a content question in pha/pho is redundant, and Phi does not do it: the interrogative pronoun occupies the position of the unknown element, and that alone carries the signal (see the manual, ch19).

14Summary

pha/pho provides Phi's mechanism for embedding questions: uncertainties we wonder about, inquiries we ask, possibilities we consider. Key points:

pha opens: "here begins a question being considered"
pho closes: "here ends that question"
Main verb follows: the verb that takes the question as its content

Distinguished from: - wa (direct questions seeking answers) - lu (conditional hypotheses with consequences) - tha/tho (embedded statements, not questions)

The system embeds yes/no questions with pha/pho; content questions embed bare, their interrogative word carrying the signal. Nesting is possible. The structure remains unambiguous.

Many languages make uncertainty easy to hide and slightly awkward to confess. Phi builds the unanswered question its own frame, cut from the same cloth as the frame it gives to facts, so that admitting an open question costs a speaker nothing but the honesty.

With pha and pho, not knowing something becomes something you can say.