Interrogative

An interrogative is an imperative accompanied by a hesitant tonal inflection which serves as an inquiry into whether its imperative can be fulfilled. The interrogative necessarily preceded the origin of the declarative.

Examples

• "Scalpel?"

Origin

In an imperative language, there would be some inappropriate imperatives - imperatives which could not be fulfilled, raising the specter of a breakdown in linguistic presence. There would also be different imperative situations - a verbal reply would come to be an expected response to certain imperatives, while other imperatives would maintain their exigency. In many cases, the one issuing an inappropriate imperative would "let it go," either due to the unimportance of the request or the inability to enforce the command. However, a more complex situation could emerge - one where the imperative is not complied with, but it's not clear that it can't be complied with. The imperative is then repeated, first with more urgency, as a bluff by the imperator that he is able to enforce it; then with a tone of hesitation, as he "lowers the stakes," but not completely. In this case, the imperative is prolonged, along with a tonal shift - becoming an interrogative, implicitly allowing for some response from the one being issued the imperative.

Characteristics

The interrogative can be thought of as a softened form of the imperative.

Uses

In common usage, it's an inquiry into a issued imperative. E.g. "Jump - How high?", "A coke please - Will pepsi do?"

References

Gans, E. L., Katz, A. L. (2019). The Origin of Language: A New Edition

Katz, A. (2020). Anthropomorphics.