Since Korean students have so much trouble with auxiliary verbs, I've been focusing on it lately, especially when asking questions. I was curious as to how many words with which you can begin a stand alone question in written English, excluding examples as really?, seriously? or other questions that confirm a previous statement such as, You didn't go to school!? The number of these words is now 28. The boldprint words below were not in the original post.
am, are, is, was, were (5)
can, could (2)
do, does, did (3)
have, has, had (3)
will, would (2)
may, must, should, shall (4)
which (1)
who, whom, whose, what, when, where, why, how (8) [open ended]
I wouldn't count any words like couldn't or hadn't, since they're just contractions of the above words with not. So, is this an exhaustive list? Bill, I await your response.
"Interrogative or Question or Wh-words"
Well, Sir, you have a nice list, but its not exhaustive. Without research being done, I'll add a bit to it.
Which do you like better, peas or carrots?
Which way is the way to San Jose, this way or that way?
Whom do I love?
Wherewith (with what) shall it be salted?
Wherefore (reason) goeth thou? However, I imagine this one and the previous one falls in the where category.
Whither will they go (to what place)?
Whither (goal) doeth thou?
Ain't you going?
Ain't She Sweet? (popular song)
Ain't is still defended by some authorities as a proper colloquial contraction (esp. for am not) in interrogative constructions.
Whence (source) comest thou? Meaning: Where (which place) so you come from now? Today, we would say, Where have you (just) been?
Whence comes this paradox?
Of course, question-words may end sentences rather then begin them, and there are a number of ways to construct questions without question-words. All constructions have contentious points of usage.
For the present time, this is all I humblingly know. "Ambiguous Bill"
P.S.: May I have your attention please?
To be or not to be, that is the question.
Old English
Nobody uses whither, wherewith or whence. These are antiquated words.
"Be apprised."
It is interesting to note that many members of the Society of Friends (Quakers), Mennonites, and especially the Amish of Lancaster and Mifflin Counties, Pennsylvania continue to use this speech today.
Yes, but
The Amish are, in their essence, an anachronistic society. I have never heard of the Mennonites but have heard of the Quakers. Yet still I have never came across these terms in everyday speech. I have only come across them in Shakespeare and bad historical novels and films.
Nevertheless, the point of the thread is to make an exhaustive list, and you are doing a good job.
"Bad historical novels"
Sir, the Mennonites originate from Holland and have a strong presence in Virginia. Perhaps, as the others, they are a bit old-fashioned. The expressions, I agree, are not found in everyday speech, unless you are among them. The Bible book is replete with the terms. Do you consider it a "bad historical novel?"
The Bible
No, the Bible is not a bad historical novel, but the version you are alluding to is probably based on a version originating from the middle of the last millenium, hence the use of the terms.
I want to add a further note- those terms are usually used in English language fiction to denote a society culturally distinct from the core protagonists. For example, in James Clavell's English language novel King Rat, the Malay people are shown as speaking in an anachronistic English fashion (using lots of thees and thous), to signify they are actually speaking Malay but the author wants to include the reader in the discourse. That is a good historical novel, and it happens to show the way anachronistic old English terms have evolved to give a conscious sense of 'otherness' to characters if used with that intent.
The Shogun
James Clavell's The Shogun was the first book I read about Asia and used to be my favorite book. After going to Japan and learning Japanese, however, I went back to reread the book only to discover that the Japanese he uses is not very accurate. I think I read all of his except for Kind Rat.
Whose
My co-teacher added the word whose to the growing list of words to begin a question.
"Oversight?"
Whose, of course, is a genitive case of who or what that are in your listing. I did not omit it for that reason.