6.1168, Sum: Would you...? / Could you...?

[The Linguist List]

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LINGUIST List:  Vol-6-1168. Mon Aug 28 1995. ISSN: 1068-4875. Lines:  75
 
Subject: 6.1168, Sum: Would you...? / Could you...?
 
Moderators: Anthony Rodrigues Aristar: Texas A&M U. <aristar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
            Helen Dry: Eastern Michigan U. <hdry at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Associate Editor:  Ljuba Veselinova <lveselin at emunix.emich.edu>
Assistant Editors: Ron Reck <rreck at emunix.emich.edu>
                   Ann Dizdar <dizdar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
                   Annemarie Valdez <avaldez at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Software development: John H. Remmers <remmers at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Editor for this issue: dizdar at tam2000.tamu.edu (Ann Dizdar)
 
---------------------------------Directory-----------------------------------
1)
Date:  Mon, 28 Aug 1995 16:00:38 +0200
From:  hiro-t at ias.tokushima-u.ac.jp (hiro-t)
Subject:  Summary: Would you...? / Could you...?
 
---------------------------------Messages------------------------------------
1)
Date:  Mon, 28 Aug 1995 16:00:38 +0200
From:  hiro-t at ias.tokushima-u.ac.jp (hiro-t)
Subject:  Summary: Would you...? / Could you...?
 
Dear Linguists,
   I received a summary on _Would you.../Could you..._ from my friend.
Here are his summary:
 
*********************************************************************
   At the end of June I raised a query about the English modals. I asked you
what is the most suitable modal in the following blanks:
  (1) _   _ you do me a favor? (to a friend)
  (2) _   _ you stop, please? (to a taxi driver)
  (3) _   _ you lend me ten dollars? (to a friend)
  (4) Excuse me, but _   _ you tell me the way to the station? (to a stranger)
  (5) _   _ you tell the court your occuaption, please? (to a witness)
  (6) _   _ you type this letter, please? (to a friend)
  (7) _   _ you type this letter, please? (to a secretary)
   Soon after that, I got 21 e-mails. Thank you very much for answering my
query. I would express my sincere thanks to the following people who
supplied useful data: David Ganelin, Linda formichelli, James Kirchner,
micheal W. Palmer, Jeffrey Weber, Marion Kee, Barbara Need, Lynn Santelman,
Keith Goeringer, Wayles Browne, Billy Clark, Jack Wiedrich, Sarah Jones,
Deborah M. Berkley, Dan Kahn, Mary Boetcher, Anthea F. Gupta, F. Glandney,
Kirkpatrich, Linda Coleman, and Anonymous.
 
   The result of this inquiry is as follows. I will show it in percentages:;
 
        will       would      can     could
(1)      13%        23%       20%      44%
(2)       7         38        10       45
(3)       9         15        26       50
(4)       4         14        36       46
(5)      33         56         4        7
(6)       4         31        11       54
(7)      18         38        15       29
 
   I think that native English speakers tend to use _Will you...?/Would you...?
_
in a business talk, and to use _Can you...?/Could you...?_ in a personal talk.
********************************************************************
 
   Thanks a lot to his query. Please contact me directly if you have
any comments on this result.
 
Best Wishes,
Hiroaki Tanaka, Tokushima University, Japan.
hiro-t at ias.tokushima-u.ac.jp
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