Rhetorical question

[san]

Hi, I would like to know if by saying " Hope all is well with you.How´s the teaching ? " is the question how´s the teaching ? a rhetorical question ?thanks

[BobK]

No - the person who asks the question really wants to find out.

b

[san]

thanks!!!

[san]

When someone says " Hope all is well with you.How´s the teaching?" by saying all is well with you and the question about the teaching, it means that the person is not really interested in going into more personal questions? just interested about work?

[BobK]

- unless they're friends, and the question about teaching is just an invitation to give more personal information - so it means 'How's the teaching [for example... I want to know everything else that's going on in your life]?' But this'll be clear from the social context; in most cases, you've got it 'bang on' [exactly right].

b

[CHOMAT]

How do you do Bob? not a rhetorical question. Hela seems to slow down for I haven't seen many translations.
The how's the teaching instance calls back - it depends upon the context- Jakobson's phatic function : utterances which function is to open up the conversation or keep it going on( right?, you know?, ) A challenging example of translation
Alain

[san]

thank you guys!!! The reason that I asked is the writer and I are friends. But haven´t heard from each other for a few months. so I guess it is to get more information and know more information?