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10-09-2014, 04:44 AM | #1 |
Evangelist
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Time for another rant: Are these questions identical?
Once more I spam the forum because I'm angry at something completely different.
(But where else do you find a large number of people who are known to be well-read?) Here's my question: Given these two sentences, how do you interpret them, are they equal or do they convey different meanings? Sentence A: Haven't you finished it yet? Sentence B: Have you finished it yet? [edit2]Those sentence were never spoken, one of them was written (or rather, a similar sentence). I took the meaning in a way that others disagreed with, so I'm curious what others think about it. [edit] I wanted to make a poll, but couldn't think of useful answers that give away my sentiment. Last edited by Cyberman tM; 10-09-2014 at 07:40 AM. |
10-09-2014, 04:48 AM | #2 |
Surfin the alpha waves ~~
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Sentence A carries a tone of frustration, of impatience, or of unmet expectations.
Sentence B is more neutral. Without hearing it, I don't know if it's a simple inquiry or an expression of annoyance. |
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10-09-2014, 05:10 AM | #3 |
eBook Enthusiast
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Sentence A has an implicit assumption that the answer will be "no", whereas sentence B is neutral. So no, not the same.
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10-09-2014, 09:40 AM | #4 |
Professional Adventuress
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Sentence A sounds hostile, angry and possibly demeaning
Sentence B sounds open and encouraging. Depending onthe relationship it almost infers the possibility of help being offered |
10-09-2014, 09:46 AM | #5 |
Grand Sorcerer
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I prefer the sarcastic tone one would read:
Are you going to finish it yet? I can read A without much frustration as well. It is less likely the case, especially when confronted with option B right away. Language in itself on paper is relatively inexact. At least it tends to be for me. It is why email is a terrible way to try to come to a common understanding. Only the simplest sentences contain any exact meaning, but then they are boring. See Spot run. See Spot see Dick. See Spot gnaw Dick's leg off. |
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10-09-2014, 09:56 AM | #6 |
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That question doesn't make any sense - at least not in British English. You can say "Are you going to finish it?" or "Have you finished it yet?", but not "Are you going to finish it yet?"
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10-09-2014, 11:52 AM | #7 |
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Sentence A) indicates that it should have been completed already.
Sentence B) is a general query on the status. |
10-09-2014, 12:12 PM | #8 |
Not scared!
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I think that the information that each would elicit is identical; whether or not "it" is finished. However, the tone of voice implied in them is quite different. The first implies impatience and criticism; the second is neutral, merely asking for information.
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10-09-2014, 12:13 PM | #9 |
Grand Sorcerer
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10-09-2014, 12:14 PM | #10 |
Wizard
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10-09-2014, 12:41 PM | #11 |
FUBAR!
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What Cromag said...
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