The Wh-NP (Rhetorical) Question―Structure and Negative Context―

要旨

This article explores the structure and negative context of wh-NP rhetorical questions (RQs) with doko-ga "where-Nom" or nani-ga "what-Nom" in Japanese by comparing them with similar constructions in English.Departing from Yamadera's (2010) adjunct analysis, this article first posits that wh-NP RQs are copular sentences that consist of an embedded structure within which even direct quotes can occur.Second, it is argued that wh-NP RQs have a weak negative context, and this negativity is further applied to ordinary questions (OQs), as it has been to the at most n N phrase.The current analysis also supports Caponigro and Sprouse's (2007) claim that OQs and RQs are syntactically and semantically the same.Keywordrhetorical question, syntax, negative context, copula

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