this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2024
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No Stupid Questions

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I could be wrong here, but it seems to me that a common aspect amongst all languages is the tendency to raise the pitch of your voice slightly when asking a question. Especially at the end of a question sentence.

If I'm wrong about this raised pitch being common amongst all languages, at the very least do all languages change their tone slightly to indicate that a question is being asked?

I guess there needs to be some way to indicate what is and isn't a question. Perhaps a higher pitched voice reflects uncertainty. Is this something deep rooted in humans, or just an arbitrary choice when language developed?

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

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 of concern)
  • Where are you from? (maybe the person has an unusual accent)
  • Where are you from? (more pointed)
  • How old is your daughter? (shifting from discussing someone else's daughter)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month 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)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month 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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month 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")