Different Ways of Forming Questions

[Ah-bin]

Here is another brain-teaser (for me perhaps, but not for all the native speakers)

How do you change these sentences into questions:

伊唔是唐儂 。 I m-sī Tn^g-lâng. He is not Chinese.
汝唔是先生。 Lú m-sī sin-se•ⁿ. You are not a teacher.
王太太唔是暹儂。 Ông thài-tài m-sī Siam-lâng. Mrs. Ong is not Thai.
黃先生唔是學生。 Ûiⁿ Sin-se•ⁿ m-sī hák-seng. Mr. Ooi is not a teacher.

to say

Isn't he Chinese?'
Aren't you a teacher?
Isn't Mrs. Ong Thai?
Isn't Mr Ooi a teacher?

Do you just attach "me" to the end of the sentence? That is my feeling.
I suppose in Taiwan you could use kam-m, but even then there should be a final particle on the end of the sentence.

Mandarin can attach ma to the end of a negative sentence,

他不是華人嗎？
你不是老師嗎？
王太太不是泰國人嗎？
黃先生不是老師嗎？

[SimL]

Adding "mé•" is fine. In all 4 cases, the "mE2" at the end would mean that there is a little bit of "disbelief" that the original (i.e., without the "mé•") is correct (perhaps very mild disbelief or doubt, but there has to be a tiny hint of it).

I m-sī Tn^g-lâng mé•? He is not Chinese ? (I thought he was...) or (I thought he was!)
Lú m-sī sin-se•ⁿ mé•? You are not a teacher? (I thought you were...) or (I thought you were!)
Ông thài-tài m-sī Siam-lâng mé•? Mrs. Ong is not Thai? (I thought she was...) or (I thought she was!)
Ûiⁿ Sin-se•ⁿ m-sī hák-seng mé•? Mr. Ooi is not a teacher? (I thought he was...) or (I thought he was!)

I suppose the English equivalents:

Isn't he Chinese?'
Aren't you a teacher?
Isn't Mrs. Ong Thai?
Isn't Mr Ooi a teacher?

all have this element of doubt as well.

[Ah-bin]

Ah, wonderful! I thought this might be the case, thank you, Sim.

Actually it's a case of a Mandarin deficiency in not having the "mé•" particle!

[SimL]

BTW, you translated "hak-seng" as "teacher", in your last sample sentence.

[amhoanna]

TWese "kám m̄" has that same "raised eyebrow" effect. Well-formed "kám m̄" sentences usually don't take a final particle...

I still prefer me·

TWese "hioh", e.g. *I m̄ sī Siamlâng--hioh? ...

(Asterisk b/c orang Taiwan would say "Thàikoklâng.)

... This would mean SO HE'S NOT SIAMESE, HUH? I THOUGHT AS MUCH, BUT, HEY, JUST MAKING SURE.