というのは - Interrogatives

[Jflower]

Hi, I'm learning from Yookoso! Continuing with Contemporary Japanese Third Edition.

I has a section labeled "Constructions Using Interrogatives".

Under that it has a table that looks like this.


Question one: What's the difference between all of the parts of speech in the second box?

Question two: the book gives some examples of when to use this but I'm still not sure about what situations to use it in beyond the ones the book gives.

Thank you in advance
-Jessica.

[KyleGoetz]

Edit Whoops I misread your question!

[Sashimister]

Originally Posted by Jflower

Hi, I'm learning from Yookoso! Continuing with Contemporary Japanese Third Edition.

I has a section labeled "Constructions Using Interrogatives".

Under that it has a table that looks like this.


Question one: What's the difference between all of the parts of speech in the second box?

Question two: the book gives some examples of when to use this but I'm still not sure about what situations to use it in beyond the ones the book gives.

1. The difference is in the formality/informality. You speak differently depending on who you are talking to and what you are like to begin with.

Basically (with room for debate), the four are listed in the order of formality.
って is always casual and conversational.

I, as a native speaker, have a huge problem with another part of that chart, which is the part in furthest right. When you change one part of a sentence (in the second box), you almost always have to change others to go with it. There is a world of difference in formality between というのは and って, yet your book seems to be suggesting that you can use the same sentence ending.

2. Cannot answer before I know what examples your book gives you.