Alternative Questions

Special Questions

The most common intonation pattern of Special questions is a Falling tone (High, Mid or Low) with a normal

or high prehead and a high or stepping head (if any). Special questions pronounced with this intonation pattern are used in all kinds of situations and are regarded as normal, or neutral.* In normal Special questions the first stress is usually placed on the interrogative word and the nuclear stress is placed on some other word coming later in the utterance:

Patient: I'm afraid I'm seriously ill, doctor.

Doctor: 'What has been troubling you?

The interrogative word of a Special question may become the nucleus of the tune while the remaining part of the utterance forms the tail. This kind of structure is used when the speaker wants to draw the listener's attention to a particular detail or when he hasn't been satisfied with what he has been told and insists on a more exact answer. Such Special questions may be called Specifying or Insistent:

— There's 'somebody's bag in the car.

— Whose bag?

Note: The Nuclear Fall may be made emphatic:

— I'm a'fraid I must 'leave today.

— But why must you go so soon?

Special questions pronounced with a low Rising nuclear tone preceded by a high-pitched prenuclear part (stepping or high level head or high prehead, if there is no head) convey the speaker's interest and his warm attitude to the listener:

'What's the matter with you? 'What's been troubling you?

This is a friendly way of making inquiries or, in other words, these are friendly Special questions. They are commonly used in a series of questions, especially addressed to children:

— What's your name, little boy?

— Bobby.

— And your mother's name?

Note: The intonation pattern of normal Special questions is very similar to that of Straightforward statements. The difference lies in the pitch-level of the first stressed word in the head which is considerably higher in questions:

Jane is 'going for a holiday soon.

What is she 'planning to do?

Alternative questions generally form a combined tune in speech. The most common combinations of nuclear tones in the first and the second intonation-groups are: a) Low-Rise+Fall (High, Mid, Low), b) Mid-High Rise+Fall (High, Mid, Low).

The first pattern is suitable in all kinds of situations while the second conveys a more formal attitude. By analogy with General questions we may distinguish friendly and neutral Alternative ques­tions.

When there are more than two alternatives, the combined tune contains more than two intonation-groups.

The Falling nuclear tone in the last intonation-group shows that the list of alternatives is complete:

a)Would you 'like a 'book by 'Charles Dickens | or 'would you prefer one of the modern books? I 'think I'll "take David Copperfield by Dickens.

b)Is he 'coming on 'Wednesday | or on Saturday?

Neither. He is 'quite unexpectedly detained in London.

When the list of alternatives is incomplete the last intonation-group has the same nuclear tone as the preceding one (ones) — the Mid-High Rise or a Low Rise:

Can she play the piano or the violin? (or some other musical 'instrument)

Yes, she's been 'taking 'piano lessons for 'two years already.

Note: A negative reply to an alternative question with an incomplete list of choices is "No" (not "neither").

Will you have some 'juice | or 'soda-water?

No, /thank you. I ' ve 'just had some tea.

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