Re: Disambiguation of arg ument reference

Nik Taylor wrote:


>Andreas Johansson wrote:
>> >both. That would sound something like *"What are you putting on the
what?"
>> >invalid for obvious reasons.
>>
>> Please tell me what those obvious reasons are. I'm afraid I've used such
>> constructions more than once, and nobody's ever complained 'bout it.
>
>Doesn't sound too odd to me.
>
Nor for me, PROVIDED that the last "what" (or even both "what"s) receives
emphatic stress-- you'd have to be asking for clarification of something
just said or heard that you find odd, shocking, unbelieveable etc.  e.g.

A:  "I think I'll put kitty-cat decals on these antique Ming vases....."
B:  "(What/WHAT) are you putting on the WHAT!!!???"

Without those connotations, and with normal intonation, I find it odd.
Unlike "Who wants what?" (e.g. asking guests what they'd like to drink),
"Who said what?" (asking for a summary of a discussion) or "Who did what to
whom?"

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