Old Lithuanian interrogative particle <em>biau</em>

Abstract

Postpositioned particle jaũ, serving in Old Lithuanian as a focus marker, may have also followed question words. Paper presents the origin of the OLith. interrogative particle biau as a shortened form of be-jau (LKŽ 1, 735), cf. a similar process in Lith. niaũ-gi ‘really?’ < ne-jaũ-gi ‘really?’.

Keywords

• Old Lithuanian
• etymology
• interrogative particles
• focus particles
• biau