Interrogative embedding: wela/welo

The interrogative complementizer pair wela/welo introduces embedded questions: uncertainties being wondered about, inquiries being asked, possibilities being considered. This section covers the full range of interrogative embedding in Phi.

The basic structure

The structure for interrogative embedding is:

[Subject] wela [Embedded question] welo [Main verb]

The embedded question follows standard Phi word order. The main verb comes after welo.

Basic example:

mia wela shia to wepu welo phaelo
1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST go INT.COMP.CLOSE feel
(I wonder whether they left.)

Breaking this down: - mia: main clause subject (I) - wela: opens embedded question - shia to wepu, embedded clause: did they leave? - welo: closes embedded question - phaelo: main verb (wonder/feel)

Sound symbolism

wela begins with the glide w, which reaches outward into possibility, into the unknown. The liquid l flows toward whatever answer might come. The final a opens into the question that follows.

welo shares the reaching we onset. The shift from a to o signals closure, the question now contained as an object of thought rather than an open inquiry.

Speaking wela feels like opening a door to uncertainty, inviting a question to unfold. Speaking welo feels like closing that door, the question now held within the sentence as content.

Distinguishing wela/welo from related words

Phi has several question-related words. Understanding their differences is essential:

wa: Direct question particle

wa marks direct questions expecting an answer:

wa thia wepu
Q 2SG go
(Are you leaving?)

This is a real question, directed at the listener, expecting a response.

wela/welo: Embedded question complementizers

wela/welo embeds a question as the content of another verb:

mia wela thia wepu welo phaelo
1SG INT.COMP 2SG go INT.COMP.CLOSE feel
(I wonder whether you are leaving.)

This is not asking the listener to answer. It reports the speaker's state of uncertainty.

lu: Conditional particle

The Slot 0 particle lu frames conditional sentences (if-then):

lu thia wepu. mia ma towe phaelo
COND 2SG go. 1SG NEG well feel
(If you leave, I will not feel well.)

This is neither a question nor an embedded question. It is a hypothesis with a consequence.

Comparison

All three involve possibility, but: - wa seeks an answer - wela/welo expresses uncertainty as content - lu posits a hypothesis

Verbs that take wela/welo clauses

Interrogative embedding works with several categories of verbs:

Wondering and contemplating

mia wela pheralu so shua welo phaelo
1SG INT.COMP rain FUT come INT.COMP.CLOSE feel
(I wonder whether rain will come.)

shia wela nophi shewo nai welo remo
3SG INT.COMP story true be INT.COMP.CLOSE think
(They contemplate whether the story is true.)

Asking and inquiring

shia wela mia to nila welo to thilou
3SG INT.COMP 1SG PST see INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire
(They asked whether I had seen.)

melu wela thia so turema welo to thilou
friend INT.COMP 2SG FUT return INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire
(The friend asked whether you will return.)

As with mena/meno, the frame verb carries its own tense after the closer: the asking is marked past with to while the embedded clause keeps its own time.

Knowing and not knowing

mia wela shia towe nai welo sano
1SG INT.COMP 3SG well be INT.COMP.CLOSE know
(I know whether they are well.)

lo mia wela sorae so shua welo ma sano
PL 1SG INT.COMP sun FUT come INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG know
(We do not know whether the sun will come.)

Discovering and finding out

shia wela melu to kamo welo nila
3SG INT.COMP friend PST arrive INT.COMP.CLOSE see
(They saw (discovered) whether the friend had arrived.)

Caring about

wa thia wela mia towe nai welo phaelo
Q 2SG INT.COMP 1SG well be INT.COMP.CLOSE feel
(Do you care whether I am well?)

With tense and aspect particles

The embedded question can contain any tense or aspect marking:

Past tense (to)

mia wela shia to kamo welo phaelo
1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST arrive INT.COMP.CLOSE feel
(I wonder whether they arrived.)

shia wela melu to naphe welo to thilou
3SG INT.COMP friend PST help INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire
(They asked whether the friend had helped.)

Future tense (so)

mia wela pheralu so shua welo ma sano
1SG INT.COMP rain FUT come INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG know
(I don't know whether rain will come.)

lo mia wela shia so turema welo phaelo
PL 1SG INT.COMP 3SG FUT return INT.COMP.CLOSE feel
(We wonder whether they will return.)

Habitual aspect (ro)

shia wela sorae ro shua welo sano
3SG INT.COMP sun HAB come INT.COMP.CLOSE know
(They know whether the sun regularly comes.)

Perfective aspect (ki)

mia wela shelu ki se kealo welo nila
1SG INT.COMP book PFV PASS create INT.COMP.CLOSE see
(I discovered whether the book has been created.)

With negation

Negation inside the embedded question:

mia wela shia to ma wepu welo phaelo
1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST NEG go INT.COMP.CLOSE feel
(I wonder whether they did not leave.)

Negation of the main verb:

mia wela shia to wepu welo ma sano
1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST go INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG know
(I do not know whether they left.)

Both:

mia wela shia to ma wepu welo ma sano
1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST NEG go INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG know
(I do not know whether they did not leave.)

With modality

Possibility (po)

mia wela shia po shua welo phaelo
1SG INT.COMP 3SG POT come INT.COMP.CLOSE feel
(I wonder whether they might come.)

Necessity (na)

shia wela lo mia na wepu welo to thilou
3SG INT.COMP PL 1SG NEC go INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire
(They asked whether we must leave.)

Complex embedded questions

The embedded question can contain full clause structure:

With transitive verbs

mia wela shia shelu kealo welo phaelo
1SG INT.COMP 3SG book create INT.COMP.CLOSE feel
(I wonder whether they create books.)

shia wela melu thia to naphe welo sano
3SG INT.COMP friend 2SG PST help INT.COMP.CLOSE know
(They know whether the friend helped you.)

With ditransitive verbs

mia wela shia wei melu shelu loa welo nila
1SG INT.COMP 3SG DAT friend book give INT.COMP.CLOSE see
(I discovered whether they gave the friend a book.)

With prepositional phrases

shia wela melu mua womu nai welo to thilou
3SG INT.COMP friend LOC home be INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire
(They asked whether the friend is at home.)

Questions about embedded questions

The main clause can itself be a question:

wa thia wela shia so turema welo sano
Q 2SG INT.COMP 3SG FUT return INT.COMP.CLOSE know
(Do you know whether they will return?)

wa shia wela mia towe nai welo to thilou
Q 3SG INT.COMP 1SG well be INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire
(Did they ask whether I am well?)

Topic-drop with wela/welo

When the main clause subject is clear from context:

Full form:

mia wela shia to wepu welo phaelo
1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST go INT.COMP.CLOSE feel
(I wonder whether they left.)

With topic-drop:

wela shia to wepu welo phaelo
INT.COMP 3SG PST go INT.COMP.CLOSE feel
((I) wonder whether they left.)

Embedded questions vs. embedded statements

Compare carefully:

Embedded statement (mena/meno):

mia mena shia to wepu meno sano
1SG DECL.COMP 3SG PST go DECL.COMP.CLOSE know
(I know that they left.)

The speaker asserts knowledge of a fact.

Embedded question (wela/welo):

mia wela shia to wepu welo sano
1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST go INT.COMP.CLOSE know
(I know whether they left.)

The speaker knows the answer to a question (but doesn't tell us what it is).

The difference in "not knowing":

mia mena shia to wepu meno ma sano
1SG DECL.COMP 3SG PST go DECL.COMP.CLOSE NEG know
(I don't know that they left.)

This could mean: I have no knowledge of their leaving.

mia wela shia to wepu welo ma sano
1SG INT.COMP 3SG PST go INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG know
(I don't know whether they left.)

This means: I have uncertainty about whether they left or not.

The interrogative embedding explicitly frames the content as a question to be resolved.

Extended examples in context

A conversation about uncertainty

wa thia wela pheralu so shua welo sano
Q 2SG INT.COMP rain FUT come INT.COMP.CLOSE know
(Do you know whether rain will come?)

mia wela pheralu so shua welo ma sano
1SG INT.COMP rain FUT come INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG know
(I don't know whether rain will come.)

mia wela pheralu so shua welo ma phaelo. sorae ha nai
1SG INT.COMP rain FUT come INT.COMP.CLOSE NEG feel. sun PROX be
(I don't care whether rain will come. The sun is here.)

Reporting someone's question

shia wela thia so turema welo to thilou
3SG INT.COMP 2SG FUT return INT.COMP.CLOSE PST inquire
(They asked whether you will return.)

wa thia wela mia to shua welo to haolu
Q 2SG INT.COMP 1SG PST come INT.COMP.CLOSE PST speak
(Did you tell whether I had come?)

(Note: When reporting that someone asked a question, we use wela/welo. When reporting their answer or statement, we use mena/meno.)

Nested uncertainty

mia wela thia wela shia towe nai welo sano welo phaelo
1SG INT.COMP 2SG INT.COMP 3SG well be INT.COMP.CLOSE know INT.COMP.CLOSE feel
(I wonder whether you know whether they are well.)

Each wela pairs with its own welo, maintaining structural clarity even in nested questions.

Content questions (wh-questions)

The examples above involve yes/no questions. Content questions (who, what, where, when, why) work differently in Phi: the interrogative word itself announces that the clause is a question, so the clause embeds bare, with no wela/welo frame:

mia sua to shua phaelo
1SG who PST come feel
(I wonder who came.)

shia thia hina to nila to thilou
3SG 2SG what PST see PST inquire
(They asked what you saw.)

lo mia shia kua nai ma sano
PL 1SG 3SG where be NEG know
(We don't know where they are.)

The interrogative word does inside the clause what wela does for yes/no questions: it announces the question. Wrapping a content question in wela/welo is redundant, and Phi does not do it: the interrogative pronoun occupies the position of the unknown element, and that alone carries the signal (see the manual, ch19).

Summary

wela/welo provides Phi's mechanism for embedding questions: uncertainties we wonder about, inquiries we ask, possibilities we consider. Key points:

• wela opens: "here begins a question being considered"
• welo closes: "here ends that question"
• Main verb follows: the verb that takes the question as its content

Distinguished from: - wa (direct questions seeking answers) - lu (conditional hypotheses with consequences) - mena/meno (embedded statements, not questions)

The system embeds yes/no questions with wela/welo; content questions embed bare, their interrogative word carrying the signal. Nesting is possible. The structure remains unambiguous.

With wela and welo, not knowing something becomes something you can say.

Next: Quotative embedding with shola/sholo