What needs to be clarified
Establish the question’s expressed content and presuppositions, determine its communicative function and distinguish assertions, hypotheses and evaluations in specific passages.
Materials to prepare
- Complete report with headline, subheading and illustrations
- Saved page with capture date and block order
- Disputed phrases and the parties’ proposed readings
What to compare
Examine interrogatives, negation, modal expressions and links to later paragraphs. Identify information treated as known, what remains open and who is its source. Test readings against linguistic evidence, qualifications, composition and possible compatible interpretations.
Possible outcome of the analysis
The assessment may explain headline meaning and function, marking assertions, hypotheses and evaluations and grounding any ambiguity in specific language and context.
Limits of the conclusions
A question mark alone does not determine function. Linguists do not verify the event, establish guilt or legally classify the publication.