A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE ...

weight of the English damn it, they can be appropriately used with children (or by them),
since these words, or the combination thereof, are not considered to be profane. Though
both share a common emotional functional load, the use of da or sha as the initial unit of
these clusters changes the nuance of the cluster. As we have already seen, da is an
information-seeker and sha is the getting-after marker. These individual functions
contribute to the overall meaning in their use with naa. Therefore, da naa occurs in
situations where the speaker is searching for information, but cannot find it; and sha is
used when the speaker is directing their clarification or revelation to an individual or a
group. Examine the examples below.
(122) “damn it” particle clusters da naa and sha naa
a) Wegonen da naa? (said to themselves while searching)
what DM DM
‘What the hell is it now?’
b) Biboon sha naa! (said to a group)
winter DM DM
‘It’s winter damn it!’
One of my consultants uttered to herself the expression in (122a) when trying to recall a
word from memory. It was uttered under her breath. The searching is indicated by the
da particle, which is has been analyzed as an information-seeker or clarifier. The
expression in (122b) shows the use of sha as the initial element, showing that her
statement is directed toward either an individual or group in providing a revelation, rather
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