Decision question
The decision question (also yes / no question , sentence question ) is a type of question sentence . Decision-making questions are the questions that can only be answered with "yes" or with "no" and thus belong to the closed questions .
Form of decision questions
Decision-making and alternative questions do not require question words . Therefore it can happen that their word order resembles a statement . In many languages , decision-making issues are only recognized as such by context or intonation . German also knows these questions:
- Decision question: “You did that?” - “Are you coming?” (Increasing intonation).
- Statement: “You did that.” (Falling intonation).
- Alternative question: "Do you take rubles or dollars?" - "Do you take rubles or dollars?"
In indirect speech, however, decision-making questions are clearly identified as such by a special conjunction, namely the word ob .
The decision question is grammatically constructed by a verb in the first or second position. If the verb appears in the second position, the pronunciation results in a falling-rising tone pattern.
variants
A variant of the decision question is the question of assurance . The spokesman expects the respondent to agree. The ruling contains Germans particles yet and surely :
- "You have a little time for me, don't you?"
- "You will do your homework, won't you?"
Similar constructions are tag question and leading question .
Decision-making questions in other languages
Question particles are also used in many languages to generate these questions. This is how you ask in Turkish :
- Okula gidiyor mu? - "Does he go to school?"
The mu (alternating after the vowel harmony also mü / mi / mı ) is the question particle with which the decision question is formed.
In Chinese it is asked in the same way:
- 这 是 我 的 书 吗? (Zhè shì wŏ de shū ma?) - "Is that my book?"
The 吗 ( ma ) at the end of the question is used to form a question from the statement (literally: "This (here) is my book.").
In Arabic, decision-making questions are introduced with the question particle هَلْ (hal) . Here, too, it serves to transform a statement into a question:
- .أَنْتَ فِلَسْطِينِيّ ( anta filasṭīniyy ) "You [are] a Palestinian."
- هَلْ أَنْتَ فِلَسْطِينِيّ؟ ( hal 'anta filasṭīniyy? ) "[Are] you a Palestinian?"
In ancient Greek, too, the words ἆρα and ἦ serve to introduce decision-making questions.
- ἆρα πάρεστιν (Ara párestin?) - "Is he there?"
The question particles usually cannot be translated into German.
swell
- Helmut Glück (Ed.), With the collaboration of Friederike Schmöe : Metzler-Lexikon Sprache. 3rd revised edition. Metzler, Stuttgart et al. 2005, ISBN 3-476-02056-8 , keyword: decision question.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ See Greek grammar , ed. von Bornemann / Risch, §266.