Intonational Means of Expressing Modality in Interrogative Sentences (with Reference to Why-Questions)

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Abstract

The article examines intonational strategies for conveying modal meanings in interrogative sentences formed with the pronominal adverb počemu (“why”). The research material consists of extended text fragments taken from audio recordings by different readers, which reveal the features of individual interpretive performance, using as examples works by Evgeny Grishkovets. The fragments are analyzed through a combination of syntactic, auditory, and acoustic methods. Particular attention is given to the intonational patterns (intonation constructions, ICs) employed in shaping interrogative sentences and to the placement of their prosodic center. A comparison of different readings highlights the intonational potential of both dialogic and monologic texts, demonstrating how the choice of IC type depends on sentence length and question semantics. The linguistic analysis of why-questions integrates the intonational-communicative dimension with textual factors, taking into account their relation to adjacent sentences, text genre, and the presence or absence of an addressee. The analysis shows that the intonational organization of modal questions is highly variable, as it conveys additional shades of meaning.

About the authors

M. Ju. Efremova

Institute of Russian Language and Culture of the Lomonosov Moscow State University

Email: efremovamy@mail.ru
Senior Lecturer 1 Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia

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