We use language to make statements, as in all of the previous examples. But we also use language for other things. The various uses of language we call ‘speech acts.’ A number of different speech acts are indicated in Klallam by putting a little unstressed word after the verb. Two of the most common uses of any language are to tell someone what to do and to ask someone a question that can be answered with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no.’ Every language has special parts of its grammar for these uses. These speech acts are particularly easy in Klallam. We will be seeing more similar little words in other sections.
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