A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE ...

Note that in (49a,c) where the examples appear without idash, only the bare meaning of
the interrogative particle is indicated. In (49b,d), however, the use of idash has an
exacting function. The expression in (49b) has differing glosses depending on the
context, but the use of idash in these expressions has the same effect, that of clarification,
or in eliciting exact meaning. On one occasion, one of my consultants was told that there
was something wrong with her hotel room. In response, she used the expression in (49b)
to get elaboration. Further inquiry revealed that the room was reputed to be haunted. On
another occasion when she was looking around for something in the room in which we
always meet, one of my other consultants used the expression in (48d) to ask her what
she was looking for. To my knowledge, it is only in interrogative sentences that idash
has this exacting function.
In discourse, idash functions as a contrastive marker. As such, idash allows the
speaker to contrast upcoming text with prior text, having the force of the English but.
(50) Contrastive idash
a) (Mille Lacs Sessions)
Wenda-nibwaakaa inenindizo, bagwanawizi dash.
s/he is really smart s/he thinks of him/herself s/he is dumb but
‘He thinks he’s smart, but he’s dumb.’
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