Appendix C — Conversational Responses and Fragments

Full clauses remain the formal default. In conversation, however, the language distinguishes between two different reductions: - **discourse particles** — standalone interactional moves such as confirmation, acknowledgement, repair, and uncertainty

Section 11

Full clauses remain the formal default. In conversation, however, the language distinguishes between two different reductions: - **discourse particles** — standalone interactional moves such as confirmation, acknowledgement, repair, and uncertainty

### Overview

Full clauses remain the formal default. In conversation, however, the language distinguishes between two different reductions:

- **discourse particles** — standalone interactional moves such as confirmation, acknowledgement, repair, and uncertainty
- **licensed fragments** — reduced NP or PP answers whose missing material is recoverable from the immediately preceding question or shared topic

### Discourse Particles

| Particle | Role                       |
|----------|----------------------------|
| `ise`    | yes, correct               |
| `anu`    | no, incorrect              |
| `sena`   | understood, received       |
| `moto`   | repeat, say again          |
| `fira`   | maybe, uncertain, not sure |

These particles are **not** predicates, do not take verbal morphology, and do not replace lexical content.

```
tu koma ne suru kas?
ise.

tu potan taku-pa?
moto.

tu [ tama koma ne suru ] ra po maku?