Conjectural questions in Ktunaxa as canonical questions

Abstract

Conjectural questions (CQs) are a type of non-canonical question, where the addressee is not expected to know the answer to the issue raised. Such questions are formed in many languages using an inferential evidential. In this paper, we analyze CQs in Ktunaxa (isolate), which contain the modal xma. Although xma is not strictly an evidential, it is compatible with an epistemic reading that requires indirect evidence. We observe that xma in declaratives can be used parenthetically, where its prejacent contains the relevant information for the current issue in the conversation. Our proposal is that CQs in Ktunaxa are derived from the same semantic mechanisms that derive canonical questions, with the twist that CQs are formed on the parenthetical use of xma. We argue against an analysis for Ktunaxa that relies on non-canonical interrogative flip, in contrast with some recent analyses of CQs in other languages.