31. General Questions

General questions are often pronounced with a Mid or Mid-High Rising nuclear tone preceded by a high level or stepping head and normal or high prehead. According to their communicative meaning these ques­tions can be defined as neutral, or genuine, since they ask for information only and don't convey any additional connotations such as the speaker's personal interest, surprise, scepticism, etc. Depending on the situation such general questions may sound light, airy or, vice versa, formal and businesslike:

a) — I saw a film last ,night.

— Did you like it?

b) — It's Harriet's free evening, and she's gone to the theatre.

— To the opera?

c) — 'Shall I 'switch on the video-recorder?

— Do, please.

A High Narrow Rising tone, which is considerably higher in pitch than the Mid or Mid-High Rise, is typical pronounced on General questions when they are used as Echo questions or as Interrogative Repetitions, i.e. questions or parts of the speaker's remark repeated by the listener. These are asked by the listener either because he hasn't heard the speaker's words clearly or because he is surprised at what he has heard:

— I hear the Smiths have lost all the money they won.

— Lost it?

Sometimes the listener repeats the speaker's question in order to gain time before answering:

— 'Do you 'know his name?

— Do I know his name? Why, certainly.

Note the difference in the nuclear rise in the stimulus general question and in the echo question.

— Are you serious?

A common way of asking General questions is with a nuclear Low Rising or Falling-Rising tone preceded by a high-pitched prenuclear part. Questions taking this intonation pattern show the speaker's interest not only in receiving information but also in the listener himself. Therefore, they are called Friendly General questions.

These questions are suitable for all kinds of situations but are especially frequent when talking to children:

Daughter: I don't want to draw any more.

Mother: 'Are you tired?

General questions may also be pronounced with a Falling nuclear tone (high, mid or low).

A High Falling nucleus combined with a high or step­ping head gives the question a note of suggestion, offer, invitation:

— We are going out to see a picture. Would you like to join us?

— I'd love to. But I've already made an appointment for this evening.

A Low Falling nucleus preceded by a high prenuclear pitch gives an insistent or a sceptical note to the General question. Such questions are often used when the speaker is not satisfied with the listener's answer and has to repeat his original question, or when he is sure of the negative reply:

a) — He's promised to stop smoking.

— Does he really mean what he says?

b) — 'Did you know they'd come?

— Well, I was told something about it.

— 'Did you 'know they would come?

Complex General Questions

In most cases these questions are pronounced as a simple tune (one intonation-group) and take the same nuclear tones as simple General questions. But if the sentence is long or if the tempo of speech is slow, a complex General question forms a combined tune where each of the intonation-groups is normally pronounced with a Rising nuclear tone (Mid-High, Mid, Low):

'Do you know where Mrs. Green works?

Do you 'think it's 'too damp to 'sit on the grass?