Interrogative Greetings. Interrogative greetings are requests to the addressee to confirm
what the speaker sees him doing when they meet:
`oa·ša_â?
‘Did you come?' (said to someone who has just
arrived),
`kudüm `kunša_â?
‘Are you working?',
^âvori `enša_â?
‘Are you going for water?', etc.
The normal response is
`o˜u.
‘Yes.'
Extended greetings are used when the speaker has not seen the addressee for some time.
They consist of additional queries about the health of the addressee, his household members, and his
livestock, as in this typical example:
`oa·ša_â? ^âduÑe_^â·ša_â? `lea kti
lea_^â·ša_â? ^pâmo mânša ^âduÑe `âi â? `susuk `lesta_^âsâ_â? ^pârmaña `lesta `âi â? ^SâRa `lesta
`âi â?
‘Did you come? Are you without illness? Are you abundantly well? Are the people
of your house without illness? Is Sister well? Are the children well? Are the livestock well?'
The normal response to such a greeting is
`o˜u. `tü leiš.
‘Yes, may you be well.'