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Rhetorical Questions in Kalagan

Leilani Mallorca
Volume
38
Issue
1,2
Pages
-
64
85
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Date of publication:

June and December 2007

Questions are of two kinds: those that seek information and those that have other functions. The latter are called rhetorical questions, and in the Kalagan language of Davao, the following functions have been discovered so far: to force the hearers or readers to think and thus be engaged in the topic, to emphasize a known fact, to express an evaluation of a decision about to be made, to express exasperation, to administer a mild rebuke or scolding, to express strong negative emotion, and to indicate doubt or uncertainty. More functions will come to light as more studies will be conducted on the Kalagan language.

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