whichwhat

Whichwhat is a term used primarily in linguistic and computational linguistics to describe a class of questions that blend the selecting function of which with the general inquiry of what. The label is a neologism rather than a standard grammatical category, and its usage is limited to theoretical discussions and some corpus-based analyses of interrogative forms.

Definition and scope: In this conception, a 'whichwhat' question seeks to identify a subset of possibilities while also querying a property or category. It represents a hybrid wh-form that defers exact classification in traditional grammar. The concept is used to analyze questions in multilingual contexts or in natural language processing tasks where a model must decide both which items are under consideration and what attributes they possess. Examples are mostly found in academic discussions and experimental datasets rather than everyday speech.

Usage and significance: Researchers use 'whichwhat' as a label for data annotation schemes, evaluation of wh-question parsing, and cross-language comparisons of interrogatives. It helps describe pragmatic nuances where speakers intend to constrain a topic while asking for information about it. Because it is not part of standard grammar, the term is most helpful as a descriptive or methodological tool rather than a prescriptive rule.

See also wh-words, interrogatives, and natural language processing.