German to Chhattisgarhi: whoever clauses connect participants rather than always asking a question
A German wer clause need not ask who
The IDS grammar illustrates Wer solche Dinge sagt, sollte zurechtgewiesen werden. The opening does not request the identity of a speaker; it characterises whoever says such things. The complete sentence then makes a statement about that person or group. Translating wer automatically as a question word would change its purpose.
In a German participation notice, the same general problem arises when an opening clause identifies people by an action they perform. Determine whether the writer asks for names or establishes which participants a later instruction concerns. A question and a rule selecting participants can contain similar source vocabulary while doing different work.
This is useful before translating a German instruction about a return journey. A request asking who will return needs an answer. A statement linking those who depart with those who return instead connects two descriptions of participants. The target must preserve that connection rather than turn one half into an independent enquiry.
A documented Chhattisgarhi pair links the two participant descriptions
Vinod Kumar Verma’s Chhattisgarhi grammar gives जउन-जउन जाहीं, तउन-तउन आहीं, with a Hindi explanation identifying those who go as those who will come. The repeated relative and corresponding forms connect the people across the two clauses. They should not be read as a list introducing a fresh group each time.
The same resource separately lists कोन for who in an interrogative example and जउन as a relative form. That distinction supports reading the construction by function, rather than treating every person-reference expression as an interchangeable way to ask a question.
The attested sentence demonstrates a particular construction; it does not establish one compulsory formula for every German wer clause. Preserve the intended people and the relationship between clauses using suitable Chhattisgarhi wording. The source author also notes regional variation in other forms, so a familiar-looking alternative should be assessed in its variety rather than rejected solely for differing from this example.
Both halves must still concern the intended participants
Imagine a German outing note stating that the people joining an outward walk will also use the return shuttle. The first clause selects the people; the second gives information about their later travel. A translation that makes the shuttle available to everybody may widen the arrangement, while one that introduces another group may detach the return plan from the walkers.
Before sending the Chhattisgarhi version, identify the condition used to select participants, the action attributed to them afterwards, and whether the sentence asks anything at all. These checks prevent a connected statement from becoming two unrelated clauses or a question followed by an assertion.
Also distinguish a general arrangement from a confirmed list of attendees. A clause describing whoever joins does not necessarily supply names or establish that particular people have already joined. Do not add that certainty merely to make the target more explicit. Keep both the participant connection and the source’s level of commitment intact.
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