Polar questions can be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (or any synonyms for these that the language may use). This parameter only considers neutral questions[1], which do not imply a particular answer.[2] A question is considered dependent if it is subordinate to a main clause whose lexical verb indicates a question, and if the question is not a direct quote (as in X asked whether…). This parameter considers the marking of dependent polar questions. Prototypical sentences that should be analyzed contain a predicate in the third person.[3]
Types:
Pq: Dependent and independent polar questions are structurally identical.
(InitCpl): The only structural difference between dependent and independent polar questions is the optional use of a clause-initial subordinating complementizer with the former.
InitCpl: The only structural difference between dependent and independent polar questions is the obligatory use of a clause-initial subordinating complementizer with the former.
(FinalCpl): The only structural difference between dependent and independent polar questions is the optional use of a clause-final or clause-medial subordinating complementizer with the former.
FinalCpl: The only structural difference between dependent and independent polar questions is the obligatory use of a clause-final or clause-medial subordinating complementizer with the former.
Cpl=V: Dependent polar questions are marked by the use of a question verb, which can appear as either a finite verb or a nonfinite verb form.[4]
(Q): The only structural difference between dependent and independent polar questions is the optional use of a question particle with the former.
Q: The only structural difference between dependent and independent polar questions is the obligatory use of a question particle with the former.[5]
Q=or: Dependent polar questions are marked by the coordination, through the use of a question conjunction meaning ‘or,’ of an affirmative sentence and its negative equivalent[6].
Else: The structural differences between dependent and independent clauses do not fit any of types listed above.[7]
When a language displays more than one strategy, two values can be listed. If one strategy is dominant, a slash (/) can separate the values, with the dominant value appearing first; if neither is dominant, they are listed with an ampersand (&) separating them. The use of parentheses indicates that use of the strategy is not obligatory, while the use of a plus sign (+) instead of an ampersand indicates that the two strategies must be used simultaneously.
[1] In a neutral declarative statement, the subject (or agent) of the sentence should be the topic, while the verb and any other arguments or adjuncts constitute the comment.
[2] Questions that imply a specific answer, such as the tag questions “Right?” often show a different structure than neutral questions.
[3] If the polar question has a non-third-person predicate (referring, for example, to the speaker or the listener), an independent question converted into a dependent question will show a change in person, such as Have you eaten? → He asked if I had eaten. These (non-structural) changes are not relevant to this parameter, and so examples should be considered in which the dependent question is derived from an originally third-person independent question, such as Is it sunny outside? → She asked if it was sunny outside.
[4] Finite verbs should be examined to determine whether they belong to the dependent question. If a question verb cannot be found in the main clause (either the same verb repeated in the dependent clause or a different verb), the verb in the subordinate clause is in fact part of the main clause.
[5] The independent equivalent of the dependent question either lacks the question particle or features it optionally.
[6] This value only applies if it does not apply for independent polar questions, too. Otherwise, the value should be Pq.
[7] In Turkish, for example, dependent polar questions feature the juxtaposition of affirmative and negative nonfinite verb forms derived from the verb of the equivalent independent question.