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Comment on Why do all languages share the same intonation for questions?

Deconceptualist@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

That’s just emphasis. You can tell because you can shift it to another word.

What’s your name? (more pointed)
How old are you? (as if it’s now suddenly important)
What are you from? (maybe the person has an unusual accent)
Where are you from? (more pointed)

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Nibodhika@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Switching the emphasis on one word can completely change the meaning of a phrase, there’s one example I love: "I never said she stole his money"

I never said she stole his money (someone else did)

I never said she stole his money (absolutely not true)

I never said she stole his money (I wrote it down)

I never said she stole his money (it was someone else)

I never said she stole his money (she might have just borrowed it)

I never said she stole his money (it was someone else’s)

I never said she stole his money (she stole something else)
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otp@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
But the default stress towards the end of the question is what makes it a question.

You can move the stress to another word for emphasis on yes-no questions, too, similarly removing the “rising intonation” that makes a question.

E.g., “Do you want any cheese^?” vs. “Do you WANT any cheese?” (Falling intonation after “want”)

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Botzo@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
I wonder if it’s more because we frame the question by altering the structure to indicate the appropriate response.

We could just as well ask “you are from where?” Or “your name is what?” That matches the expected sentence structure of a response, and the natural pitch rises.

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