Why and when would “num” be used?
According to what I understand num is used when the asker of the question is already aware that the answer will be no. Does this have any other uses besides rhetorical questions?
vocabulary meaning
edited Jan 27 at 14:37
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YadesesYadeses
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According to what I understand num is used when the asker of the question is already aware that the answer will be no. Does this have any other uses besides rhetorical questions?
vocabulary meaning
edited Jan 27 at 14:37
V2Blast
1054
asked Jan 26 at 20:32
YadesesYadeses
570415
add a comment |
According to what I understand num is used when the asker of the question is already aware that the answer will be no. Does this have any other uses besides rhetorical questions?
vocabulary meaning
edited Jan 27 at 14:37
V2Blast
1054
asked Jan 26 at 20:32
YadesesYadeses
570415
According to what I understand num is used when the asker of the question is already aware that the answer will be no. Does this have any other uses besides rhetorical questions?
vocabulary meaning
vocabulary meaning
edited Jan 27 at 14:37
V2Blast
1054
asked Jan 26 at 20:32
YadesesYadeses
570415
edited Jan 27 at 14:37
V2Blast
1054
asked Jan 26 at 20:32
YadesesYadeses
570415
edited Jan 27 at 14:37
V2Blast
1054
edited Jan 27 at 14:37
V2Blast
1054
edited Jan 27 at 14:37
V2Blast
1054
1054
asked Jan 26 at 20:32
YadesesYadeses
570415
asked Jan 26 at 20:32
YadesesYadeses
570415
asked Jan 26 at 20:32
YadesesYadeses
570415
570415
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
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Num can also be used in questions that expect the answer "no", even if they're not rhetorical.
Num pater eius es?
Surely you're not his father?
You're not his father, are you?
You could certainly reply "yes, actually, I am" to this question (immo in Latin); it's just not the answer the questioner expects.
answered Jan 26 at 20:40
DraconisDraconis
15.6k22067
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For direct questions, num is one of the the explicit ways, together with nonne and -ne, of signalling a yes/no question. Whereas -ne is neutral and simply asks for either confirmation or denial of some detail (that is, the respondent can reply either 'Yes' or 'No'), nonne and num are used to ask leading questions.
When nonne is used, the person who's asking the question expects to receive the answer 'Yes' or 'Yes, of course'; and, as you've noted, when num is used, the answer 'No' or 'No, of course not' is expected. Questions with nonne are sometimes translated by saying something like 'You did see Cicero, didn't you?' (nonne Ciceronem vidisti?), questions with num by saying something like 'Surely, you didn't see Cicero, did you?' (num Ciceronem vidisti?).
For indirect questions, num loses its negative leading force. Both it and -ne just mean 'whether' ('if') (nonne retains its positive leading force though).
rogavi num Ciceronem vidisset = rogavi Ciceronemne vidisset.
I asked whether he had seen Cicero.
Although Allen & Greenough, New Latin grammar says (§332, b, Note) that num in indirect question 'commonly loses its peculiar force' (emphasis added), I don't remember ever seeing instances where such a num had to be construed with negative leading force.
answered Jan 26 at 21:10
cnreadcnread
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2 Answers
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Num can also be used in questions that expect the answer "no", even if they're not rhetorical.
Num pater eius es?
Surely you're not his father?
You're not his father, are you?
You could certainly reply "yes, actually, I am" to this question (immo in Latin); it's just not the answer the questioner expects.
answered Jan 26 at 20:40
DraconisDraconis
15.6k22067
add a comment |
Num can also be used in questions that expect the answer "no", even if they're not rhetorical.
Num pater eius es?
Surely you're not his father?
You're not his father, are you?
You could certainly reply "yes, actually, I am" to this question (immo in Latin); it's just not the answer the questioner expects.
answered Jan 26 at 20:40
DraconisDraconis
15.6k22067
add a comment |
Num can also be used in questions that expect the answer "no", even if they're not rhetorical.
Num pater eius es?
Surely you're not his father?
You're not his father, are you?
You could certainly reply "yes, actually, I am" to this question (immo in Latin); it's just not the answer the questioner expects.
answered Jan 26 at 20:40
DraconisDraconis
15.6k22067
Num can also be used in questions that expect the answer "no", even if they're not rhetorical.
Num pater eius es?
Surely you're not his father?
You're not his father, are you?
You could certainly reply "yes, actually, I am" to this question (immo in Latin); it's just not the answer the questioner expects.
answered Jan 26 at 20:40
DraconisDraconis
15.6k22067
answered Jan 26 at 20:40
DraconisDraconis
15.6k22067
answered Jan 26 at 20:40
DraconisDraconis
15.6k22067
answered Jan 26 at 20:40
DraconisDraconis
15.6k22067
15.6k22067
add a comment |
add a comment |
For direct questions, num is one of the the explicit ways, together with nonne and -ne, of signalling a yes/no question. Whereas -ne is neutral and simply asks for either confirmation or denial of some detail (that is, the respondent can reply either 'Yes' or 'No'), nonne and num are used to ask leading questions.
When nonne is used, the person who's asking the question expects to receive the answer 'Yes' or 'Yes, of course'; and, as you've noted, when num is used, the answer 'No' or 'No, of course not' is expected. Questions with nonne are sometimes translated by saying something like 'You did see Cicero, didn't you?' (nonne Ciceronem vidisti?), questions with num by saying something like 'Surely, you didn't see Cicero, did you?' (num Ciceronem vidisti?).
For indirect questions, num loses its negative leading force. Both it and -ne just mean 'whether' ('if') (nonne retains its positive leading force though).
rogavi num Ciceronem vidisset = rogavi Ciceronemne vidisset.
I asked whether he had seen Cicero.
Although Allen & Greenough, New Latin grammar says (§332, b, Note) that num in indirect question 'commonly loses its peculiar force' (emphasis added), I don't remember ever seeing instances where such a num had to be construed with negative leading force.
answered Jan 26 at 21:10
cnreadcnread
8,78711124
add a comment |
For direct questions, num is one of the the explicit ways, together with nonne and -ne, of signalling a yes/no question. Whereas -ne is neutral and simply asks for either confirmation or denial of some detail (that is, the respondent can reply either 'Yes' or 'No'), nonne and num are used to ask leading questions.
When nonne is used, the person who's asking the question expects to receive the answer 'Yes' or 'Yes, of course'; and, as you've noted, when num is used, the answer 'No' or 'No, of course not' is expected. Questions with nonne are sometimes translated by saying something like 'You did see Cicero, didn't you?' (nonne Ciceronem vidisti?), questions with num by saying something like 'Surely, you didn't see Cicero, did you?' (num Ciceronem vidisti?).
For indirect questions, num loses its negative leading force. Both it and -ne just mean 'whether' ('if') (nonne retains its positive leading force though).
rogavi num Ciceronem vidisset = rogavi Ciceronemne vidisset.
I asked whether he had seen Cicero.
Although Allen & Greenough, New Latin grammar says (§332, b, Note) that num in indirect question 'commonly loses its peculiar force' (emphasis added), I don't remember ever seeing instances where such a num had to be construed with negative leading force.
answered Jan 26 at 21:10
cnreadcnread
8,78711124
add a comment |
For direct questions, num is one of the the explicit ways, together with nonne and -ne, of signalling a yes/no question. Whereas -ne is neutral and simply asks for either confirmation or denial of some detail (that is, the respondent can reply either 'Yes' or 'No'), nonne and num are used to ask leading questions.
When nonne is used, the person who's asking the question expects to receive the answer 'Yes' or 'Yes, of course'; and, as you've noted, when num is used, the answer 'No' or 'No, of course not' is expected. Questions with nonne are sometimes translated by saying something like 'You did see Cicero, didn't you?' (nonne Ciceronem vidisti?), questions with num by saying something like 'Surely, you didn't see Cicero, did you?' (num Ciceronem vidisti?).
For indirect questions, num loses its negative leading force. Both it and -ne just mean 'whether' ('if') (nonne retains its positive leading force though).
rogavi num Ciceronem vidisset = rogavi Ciceronemne vidisset.
I asked whether he had seen Cicero.
Although Allen & Greenough, New Latin grammar says (§332, b, Note) that num in indirect question 'commonly loses its peculiar force' (emphasis added), I don't remember ever seeing instances where such a num had to be construed with negative leading force.
answered Jan 26 at 21:10
cnreadcnread
8,78711124
For direct questions, num is one of the the explicit ways, together with nonne and -ne, of signalling a yes/no question. Whereas -ne is neutral and simply asks for either confirmation or denial of some detail (that is, the respondent can reply either 'Yes' or 'No'), nonne and num are used to ask leading questions.
When nonne is used, the person who's asking the question expects to receive the answer 'Yes' or 'Yes, of course'; and, as you've noted, when num is used, the answer 'No' or 'No, of course not' is expected. Questions with nonne are sometimes translated by saying something like 'You did see Cicero, didn't you?' (nonne Ciceronem vidisti?), questions with num by saying something like 'Surely, you didn't see Cicero, did you?' (num Ciceronem vidisti?).
For indirect questions, num loses its negative leading force. Both it and -ne just mean 'whether' ('if') (nonne retains its positive leading force though).
rogavi num Ciceronem vidisset = rogavi Ciceronemne vidisset.
I asked whether he had seen Cicero.
Although Allen & Greenough, New Latin grammar says (§332, b, Note) that num in indirect question 'commonly loses its peculiar force' (emphasis added), I don't remember ever seeing instances where such a num had to be construed with negative leading force.
answered Jan 26 at 21:10
cnreadcnread
8,78711124
edited Jan 26 at 21:51
answered Jan 26 at 21:10
cnreadcnread
8,78711124
answered Jan 26 at 21:10
cnreadcnread
8,78711124
answered Jan 26 at 21:10
cnreadcnread
8,78711124
8,78711124
add a comment |
add a comment |
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