1.2.1.2. Word order changes between declaratives and polar interrogatives
Polar interrogatives maintain the word order of declarative sentences. The only relevant changes that a polar interrogative can optionally experience in terms of word order concern its pronominal subject. It can be doubled —it occurs in its original position and also at the very end of the sentence— or it can be moved —it does not occur in its neutral position—.
y/n
a) ix2 tired ix2
‘Are you tired?’
(recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
y/n
b) ix3 live lleida ix3
‘Does he live in Lleida?’
(recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
y/n
c) deaf ix2
‘Are you deaf?’
(© Sara Cañas Peña 2015. Reprinted with permission from Cañas-Peña, 2015: 41)
Neither of these changes in word order are obligatory, they just convey emphasis to the proposition uttered.