Comment on Why do all languages share the same intonation for questions?
lvxferre@mander.xyz 2 days agoDo you really think thats true?
“Rhetorical” questions - like this one - are specially interesting because, while they follow the syntax of a genuine question, they’re pragmatically assertions. You’re implying “this is not true”, even if you’re phrasing it as a question.
And that phrasal pitch contour that you see in yes/no questions is dictated by the pragmatical purpose of the utterance, so if the “question” is not actually a question, it doesn’t get it.
tux7350@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Can you tell me more?
lvxferre@mander.xyz 2 days ago
Yes, I can.
/me leaves the roomSerious now, this sentence is a great example because, even if phrased as a yes/no question, you’ll typically see it being used as a request - “please tell me more”. And as such you’ll often hear it without the higher pitch associated with yes/no questions.