STRUCTURAL AND SEMANTIC CHARACTERISTICS OF QUESTIONS WITH NON-PROTOTYPICAL STRUCTURE IN “HARRY POTTER AND SORCERER’S STONE” BY J. ROWLING

Abstract

The article tackles the problem of questions whose structure is different from ordinary prototypical structure of a question, mainly of declarative questions, short questions, echo-questions, anticipatory questions, some types of tag-questions (e. g. with positive beginning and positive tag, with negative beginning and negative tag), elliptical and incomplete questions in which different elements are missing (e. g. the predicate or its parts or the subject). It has been assumed that the given types of questions with violated non-standard structure might possess a special potential for rendering meanings other than inquiry of information which is a prototypical main function of an ordinary question with standard structure and word order. The material for analyzing the stated problem was taken from “Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone” by J. Rowling. The following peripheral meanings of questions have been revealed in the investigated material: astonishment, indignation, anger, fear, anxiety, reproach, demonstration of friendly disposition to the partner, mocking, lack of understanding, assumption, appeal for an action, clarification, etc.