earticle

영어

This study examines interrogative sentence patterns among Korean speakers aged 50 and above, focusing on how aging, gender, and education influence their usage. Using approximately 649.7 hours of conversational data (288,502 utterances from 3,649 speakers aged 50–90), the study analyzes 11,946 interrogatives, classified as WH-questions and Y/N-questions. Results show interrogative use declines with age but increases with education. Gender differences reveal men using more interrogatives overall, while women favor WH-questions. Multiple regression analysis reveals age as the most influential factor, followed by education and gender, suggesting educational engagement could help offset language changes associated with aging.