The why-how alternation and a new test for sentential negation—on negated how-questions

Abstract

It has been argued that negated how-questions are, in contrast to negated why-questions, ill-formed. Based on this generalization it was proposed that how is located in a structural position below negation. In this squib, I will show that negated how-questions exist and that they instantiate a case of sentential negation by using data from German and English. For this purpose, a new test for sentential negation that can be applied to questions is introduced. I will show that the reason why negated how-questions have been argued to be ill-formed is not necessarily syntactic, but pragmatic (or semantic) in nature. However, I will also show that negative contraction in English negated how-questions is blocked.

Keywords

• why-how alternation
• negation
• Cartography
• negated how-questions
• sentential negation
• constituent negation