2016-01-23 17:29 GMT-02:00 Mark J. Reed <[log in to unmask]>:
> In the example given, the first sentence is a "Do you want X?" question -
> the X happens to be a choice,
Yes, it's
Do you want *{chocolate or strawberry}*?
where X = "chocolate or strawberry"
*VERSUS*
Do yo want *{chocolate}* or *{strawberry}*?
where X = "chocolate" and Y = "strawberry".
Até mais!
Leonardo
> but the asker doesn't care which option is desired, just whether they want
> either of them at all at the moment.
>
> I've often been asked the yes/no version of "Do you want coffee or milk
> with your dessert?" by a server - as Dirk said, the intonation tells you
> which type of question is intended. You can say simply "yes", inviting a
> follow up, or you can say "yes, coffee please" - but the fact that "yes"
> works at all is a function of the intonation, and a simple "no" works to
> reject both options. Whereas the "you can have either coffee or milk,
> which do you want?" question does not accept "yes" or "no", only one of
> the suggestions or "neither one, thanks.".
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Jan 23, 2016, at 13:16, Paul Schleitwiler, FCM <
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> > "Do you want X?" is a yes/no question.
> > "Do you want X or Y?" is not.
> > Answering yes or no to an "or" question is insufficient to clarify the
> > choice. "Yes" must be accompanied with naming the choice or by "both".
> "No"
> > must be accompanied by naming the choice declined or by "neither".
> > God bless you always, all ways,
> > Paul
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Jan 23, 2016 at 11:55 AM, Dirk Elzinga <[log in to unmask]>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> English does this. For the Y/N question, intonation rises at the end:
> >>
> >> - Do you want chocolate or strawberry?
> >> - Yes, I do.
> >>
> >> For the closed choice question, intonation falls:
> >>
> >> - Do you want chocolate or strawberry?
> >> - Chocolate.
> >>
> >> I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this already in this thread.
> >>
> >> On Fri, Jan 22, 2016 at 5:36 AM, Leonardo Castro <
> [log in to unmask]>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Can any languages distinguish "yes-no or questions" from
> >> "choose-an-option
> >>> or questions"?
> >>>
> >>> Do you understand my question?
> >>>
> >>> Here an example:
> >>>
> >>> -- Do you want chocolate or strawberry?
> >>> -- Yes, I do.
> >>>
> >>> Sorry if there is a widely known linguistic concept for that
> distinction
> >>> that I ignore for not being a linguist. (Some years ago, I told a
> British
> >>> linguist about Tupi-Guarani inclusive-exclusive 1PL distinction,
> thinking
> >>> that I was telling something very unusual and interesting...)
> >>>
> >>> Até mais!
> >>>
> >>> Leonardo
> >>
>
