Questions

Questions

1. WH- questions

   • The default tone is a fall.
   • It can be also said
     • non-falling tone
       • Rise
       • Less commonly, fall rise
       • Encouraging rise
         • It makes the question more gentle, kindly, encouraging, symphatetic or deferential
   • Echo question
     • A short wh- question that the speaker immideately answer himself
     • Request for repetition
     • Second order question
       • Echoes the other speaker's question to query it, perhaps with narrow focus
     • Please-repeat wh quetion
       • Change the focus element into a wh question
       • Asking for clarification

2. Yes- no questios

   • The default is a rise
     • Yes-no rise
   • Positive or negative
     • Usually, it doesn't matter the pollarity
   • Requests
   • It can be said with a fall, THE INSISTENT FALL
     • It is more insistent, serious, threatening
     • It is used for guessing games
     • When a speaker repeats a question
     • In colloquial speech the auxiliary verb and pronoun are often ommited

3. Tag questions

   • Yes-no questions tagged onto the end of a statement or command
   • Fall
     • Insistent fall
       • The speaker appeals for agreement
       • When a tag is attached to an exclamation
       • Usually, when it is in the middle(parenthesis)
         • It is also possible to have a yes-no rise
       • Attached to a command
         • rude, less common
   • Rise
     • Asking for information
       • To check if the other person agrees or not
     • Constant polarity if they have their own tone
       • clause positive-tag positive
     • (usually) When a tag is attached to a command and it has its own IP
       • Encouraging rise
   • May have or not their own IP

4. Independant elliptical questions

   • This resemble a tag question but it involves a change of speaker
   • The default rise : yes-no rise
     • Same polarity
   • They can also be said
     • Fall
       • insistent fall
         • Surprise or scepticism, but accepting other's opinion
       • Exclamatory Fall
         • Reverse polarity negative elliptical yes-no question as a reaction to a positive statement
           • e.g: Her daughter's awafully clever. - yes, isn't she

5. Checking

   • e.g: ok? right?
   • Rise
     • Usually a fall- rise
     • Pardon question rise
       • sorry? what? pardon?
     • yes-no rise
       • to check wether you have understood the other speaker correctly suggesting an interpretation
   • Fall
     • when the speaker has to repeat a yes no question in reply to a pardon question
       • insistent fall