DIRECT WH-QUESTIONS INTRODUCED BY SIMPLE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS IN FRENCH AND ITS EQUIVALENTS IN SERBIAN

Abstract

The WH-questions refer to a question type using the interrogative words to specify the infor- mation that is desired. The direct WH-questions introduced by simple interrogative pronouns in French show a wide range of variability. The simple interrogative pronouns relate to the nature and the identity of the referent. Their form varies depending upon the origin itself of the referent: in principle, qui is used for human animates only, que/qu’ is used for inanimates and generally non-human subjects. The simple interrogative pronouns for inanimates and generally non-human subjects have the unstressed (que/qu’) and the stressed form (quoi). The proper usage of the un- stressed or the stressed form of the simple interrogative pronoun depends upon its position in the sentence, its dependent or independent usage and the fact that it is accompanied or not by a preposition. Beside the origine of the referent, the form of the simple interrogative pronouns varies depending upon the function of the interrogative pronoun in the sentence (subject, subject complement, direct object complement, prepositional complement). Except for a non-human subject (qu’est-ce qui), the simple interrogative pronouns have its short or long forms depending upon the function in the sentence (the long form is enlarged with est-ce qui for subjects and est-ce que for objects). The main advantage of the long form is that it does not require inverting the order of the subject and the verb as it needs to be usually done with the short forms (except for the subjects). However, in the informal, conversational language, the inversion tends to be avoided despite the normative rules. Finally, as a result of these tendencies in the modern French language, the direct WH-questions introduced by simple interrogative pronouns show a wide range of a stylistic and structural variability.
The aim of our work was to determine the equivalent forms in Serbian of the direct WH- questions introduced by simple interrogative pronouns in French. In Serbian, the interrogative pronouns for human animates ko and for generally non-human subjects šta have six different case forms. They usually occupy the initial position in the sentence which has the neutral stylistic value. The analyse of the direct WH-questions introduced by simple interrogative pronouns in French and Serbian is based on the normative and descriptive literature, as well as on the analyse of the selected theatrical works in French and Serbian and its published translations in both of these languages.