Re: whether (was Re: ni, jei, perfectionism)

[And Rosta <a.rosta@UCLAN.AC.UK>]

John to Jorge to Lojbab:
> > > I don't see much difference between:
> > >I know where John went (indirect question).
> > >I know the place where John went (relative clause).
> >
> > But they are different! The first one doesn't say that you know
> > the place, it only says that you know where it is that John went.
> > If you don't know Buenos Aires, you may still know that John went to
> > Buenos Aires. If John went to New York, and you know N.Y.,
> > but you don't know that John went there, you still know the place
> > where he went.
>
> I can get both readings of the second example: one synonymous with
> the first example, where "know the place" means "know the identity
> of the place", and one meaning what you indicate, where "know the
> place" means "be familiar with the place".

I get both readings for both sentences. The first sentence is
syntactically ambiguous between an interrogative clause and a
free relative clause. The second one I do not currently believe
to be syntactically ambiguous (but I would love to discover
some syntactic evidence that it is).

Anyway, Jorge was, I presume, talking about the relevant
"indirect question" reading of both sentences.

--And