2007•Unpublished venueRequires access

Interrogative–Indefinite Puzzle

D.N.S. Bhat

Abstract

Abstract The occurrence of one and the same set of proforms as indefinites and interrogatives in many languages, and the derivation of indefinites from interrogatives in many others is considered to be rather puzzling. This chapter resolves this puzzle by regarding the proforms occurring in constituent questions of such languages as indefinites rather than as interrogatives. That is, the proforms are considered to have only an information gap as their meaning. Additional meanings that need to be expressed in constituent questions – namely (i) making a request for information (interrogation) and (ii) restricting the request to a single constituent (focusing) – are assigned to other devices which co-occur with proforms in constituent questions, such as interrogative particles or moods, focus markers, and interrogative intonation.

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Key concepts: Interrogative, Interrogative word, Linguistics, Interrogation, Focus (optics), Intonation (linguistics), Meaning (existential), Set (abstract data type)