Questionwords

Questionwords, also known as interrogatives or wh-words, are a broad class of words used to form questions and to inquire about specific aspects of a situation. They occur across parts of speech, including pronouns, determiners, and adverbs, and they are found in many languages. The set and behavior of questionwords vary by language, but they typically request information such as identity, location, time, reason, manner, or degree.

In English, common questionwords include who, what, where, when, why, how, and which. Others include whom and whose. Some words function as determiners (which book?), others as pronouns (which did you choose?), and some can serve in multiple roles depending on context. Questionwords can also form wh-phrases that modify nouns or entire clauses.

Syntax and word order are often implicated with questionwords. In many languages, including English, wh-words participate in wh-movement, appearing at the front of the clause in content questions, with a trace or gap left behind. They can also appear in embedded questions inside larger statements (I wonder where he went).

Cross-linguistic variation is common. Some languages use question particles or special intonation instead of wh-words; others have extensive sets of wh-forms that encode case, number, or animacy. Some languages permit multiple wh-words in a single clause for complex questions, while others rely on context or modifiers to convey the needed information.

Questionwords are distinct from polar yes–no questions, but together they form the broader category of interrogatives used to elicit information.