ABOUT NON-IMPERATIVE FORMS OF MOTIVATION IN DANISH: VIL DU HJÆLPE MIG? — VIL DU IKKE HJÆLPE MIG?

Abstract

The article for the first time offers a comparative analysis of two non-imperative forms of motivation in Danish that have common structure and propositional content, but differ in the absence or presence of negation: Vil du (ikke) + Inf.? The author studies these interrogative expressions in various contextual situations to specify their motivational meanings, to explain ways to induce one of the alternative answers (ja/jо — nej) from an interlocutor, and also to suggest ways of translating them into Russian. It is shown that unlike the expression without negation Vil du hjælpe? the expression with negation Vil du ikke hjælpe? contains the speaker’s implied confidence that the listener will agree with the assessment of the described situation expressed in the statement component of the question and will provide the requested assistance. The expression without negation does not contain such inducement, which expands the scope of its usage in communication and makes it possible to use it as part of an alternative question.