Can a Positive Rhetorical Question have a Positive Answer in the Bible?
Rhetorical questions (RQs) function pragmatically as assertions whose content is the implied answer to the question. A cross-linguistic trait of the yes-no RQ also observed in the Bible is the reversed polarity of the implied answer: positive RQs imply negative assertions. There is a small group of...
| Published in: | Journal of Semitic studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2011
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| In: |
Journal of Semitic studies
Year: 2011, Volume: 56, Issue: 2, Pages: 253-273 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | Rhetorical questions (RQs) function pragmatically as assertions whose content is the implied answer to the question. A cross-linguistic trait of the yes-no RQ also observed in the Bible is the reversed polarity of the implied answer: positive RQs imply negative assertions. There is a small group of positive questions in the Bible that resemble RQs, yet the answer to the question is positive rather than negative. Three theories regarding these questions have been suggested: 1) RQs in Biblical Hebrew need not have reversed polarity; 2) the questions express strong affirmations; 3) the questions have the sense of exclamations. In this paper it is argued that none of these theories is convincing. The concept of the conducive, or biased question is introduced to explain the aberrant questions. Nearly all of the questions are shown to be conducive questions with the functions of seeking confirmation or expressing surprise, and as such are expected to have positive rather than negative answers. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-8556 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Semitic studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jss/fgr003 |