Question: WH-words

GrammarQuestion – WH-words singular

The type of question-words we learn in this lesson are called WH-words in linguistics because these question words start with wh - in English, specifically what and who.

fromLesson 11.4

MorphologyQuestion – WH-words singular

• WH-words have 3rd declension endings, and since masc and fem nouns have the same endings in 3rd declension, these are also not distinguished with WH-words.
• The gen and dat endings, -ος and -ι respectively, are the same for all three genders (see 9.3.3.1 where we introduced the neut 3rd declension forms).
• In all forms, the stem is τίν-.
• When the σ is added to the masc/fem nom, the ν of the stem drops out.

fromLesson 11.4

MorphologyQuestion – WH-words plural

• The nom and acc endings (-ες and -ας) are the same as the pl 1st and 2nd person pronouns, ἡμ-εῖς/ἡμ-ᾶς (the lengthened εῖς is a contraction)
• The endings for the gen and dat are -ων and -σι(ν) respectively (identical to the neut 3rd declension pl forms; 10.1.4.1).
• When the σ of the dat pl ending is added to the τιν- stem, the ν of the stem drops out, leaving τίσι(ν) just like the form τίς (see 11.4.3.1).

fromLesson 12.3

SyntaxQuestion – WH-words (WH-movement)

Questions often change the order of the words in a sentence. One hallmark of WH-words across languages is that they normally move to the beginning of the sentence. I say “move” because they might be replacing some other element in a different position. For example, when we ask a question like Whom did John hit, the word whom is standing in for the direct object of the sentence, which normally comes after the verb hit as in John hit Tom. The normal word order for questions is not John hit whom in English, but it is Whom did John hit where the object that is being questioned moves to the front of the sentence.

In NT Greek, you can find both VS and SV order after questions when something other than the subject is being questioned, but VS is a bit more common, as we see in Matt 16:13:2

fromLesson 11.4

SyntaxQuestion – WH-words (replacing an argument or adjunct)

The most important syntactic characteristic of τίς is that it replaces a noun in the sentence. Sometimes this noun will be an argument of the verb as in τίνα βλέπει ὁ ἄνθρωπος; ‘Whom does the person see?’ At other times, the noun replaced will be one that goes with a preposition, e.g. πρὸς τίνα πορεύεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος; ‘To whom is the person going?’ Another option is for the WH-word to replace an adjunct. The term adjunct refers to an element in the sentence that is not required by the verb. For example, we might say τίνι τύπτει τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ ὁ ἀδελφός; ‘With what did the brother hit his sister?’1 In this case, the initial τίνι is replacing an adjunct because it isn’t necessary that the brother hit his sister with an instrument of any kind. Adjuncts are an optional piece of information in the sentence that adds something to our understanding of the situation.

fromLesson 12.3

SemanticsQuestion – WH-words

The primary function of WH-words in Greek is to act as a signal to the hearer that the thing questioned is unknown to the speaker. This is the essence of what it means to question something. It is an indication from the speaker that they are missing information about an event or state, and they are requesting that the hearer provides that information. In Matt 16:13 above, Jesus is asking his disciples what people say about him. Although it could be argued that he already knows the answer, he is prompting the disciples to supply the information he is requesting, which they do in the rest of the passage.

fromLesson 11.4