What is a rhetorical question?

With a rhetorical question, you’re going for a general opinion, not a definitive answer.

A question that answers itself…

. rhetorical question = a question requiring no answer: a question asked for effect that neither expects nor requires an answer …. . Examples: . (a) w t f ? ; . (b) wassup ? . (c) Is the Pope catholic ? . (d) Do bears shît in the woods ? . (e) “Who are you ? Who are you ? Who are you ? “ ( chant intended to belittle opposing football fans and players during match ) . (f) Surely you can’t be serious ? ….. notwithstanding the brilliant answer: “ I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley”. ( Leslie Neilsen in Airplane ). .

its a question you are not expected to answer, its the same with other but you will know by the expression on the person who asked.

Wassup is not a rhetorical question because its just a normal question requiring an answer, its like saying whats up? Then someone will tell you whats up. Its like a teaching saying ‘do i look stupid to you?’ and ofcourse your not going to answer yes you do, she doesnt want an answer back

. That may ineed be its origin, however in my experience, it is never really used with the intention of eliciting an explicit answer. It is used in a manner similar to “ Howdy? “ -whose origin lies in a contraction of “how do you do ?”, and to which one might originally have replied “ I’m very well thank you, and how are you ?.

In practice, “wassup ?” is more likely to receive “ wassup? “ in response, or “ howdy “, or “ Yo “. Nobody who asks the rhetorical question “ wassup? “ wants to here the interloculor respond with a list of all their medical complaints, financial woes, or thrice daily difficulties cleaning up their mother-in-laws incontinence mishaps.

@majikthise i don’t agree with you, all your examples deserves an answer. Retorical questions is not expected to be answered. Pls do your research again.

You still ask it and get a response whereas a rhetorical question doesnt expect an answer

And im pretty sure if someone asked me wassup? Id tell them exactly what im doing like if they asked whats up?

“ You still ask it and get a response …” yes, you pose a rhetorical question and sometimes may expect to get some sort of a reply, but the response is not likely to be an ANSWER to the actual (rhetorical) question as literally posed. Anyhow, there is no particular merit in arguing about the matter, let’s just see what happens on this site when someone interjects a “ wassup “ ….. http://www.funadvice.com/search?q=wassup how big a proportion of those posts got ANY response whatsoever? and among the minimal number that did get some form of reply, how many got a reply that is a proper ANSWER to the QUESTION ( I didn’t find a single one before I got too bored to continue looking )

. Then I am afraid you simply do not understand what a rhetorical question is. To say that “ rhetorical question is not expected to elicit an ANSWER to the QUESTION as posed “ is not the same as saying “ a rhetorical question is not expected to elicit a REPLY of any form regardless of whether it attempts to give a locigally correct answer. . You really haven’t got a clue have you ? …..and that is a rhetorical question REGARDLESS of whether you reply. It is in effect a statement that implying that you don’t know what you are talking about. A logical ANSWER to the QUESTION might be “yes I have got one hundred of them in this crossword puzzle that I am doing” - but the rhetorical question is not intested in posing the question in order to get any such logically correct answer whatsoever.

I think it’s a question that simply doesn’t REQUIRE an answer, like “Why the hell is it raining again?” It doesn’t answer itself, and it doesnt need an answer.

In my expiriance,people use wassup sometimes as an expression of their ability to say it,or when they intend to say “Hi,How’s things” and when you squeeze that sentance you get “wassup”.I do tend to agree with majikthise here because when I hear people say “what’s up” it sounds more like a very fast “what’s up” then a “wassup”.

And when they do say “wassup” to ask the person what’s it doing,it’s just cause of “good manner” or like “I care”,kinda makes it a rhetorical question. But then again,I”m a dumb kid,what the hell do I know?Hey!! I made a rhetorical question,I can do this crap too!! WIN!

“… But then again,I”m a dumb kid, …” ….. On the contrary, …. as bright a 14y.o. kid as I’ve come across in a long time.

And im in year 12 And have just learnt what it is by my english teacher :)