Confused... 我有疑问。

[nanyangguy]

"不" can be used in asking question. When asking question, "不" is used after a verb or an adjective. Then, after the word "不", the verb or adjective can be repeated after the word "不". Such examples are 是不是?, 会不会?, 要不要?... However, if the verb or adjective is made up of 2 words, like 可以, 喜欢, 美丽, 快乐... In this case, if I ask question, the verb or adjective will become 可以不可以?, 喜欢不喜欢?, 美丽不美丽?, 快乐不快乐?. When speaking, some people may say 可不可以?, 喜不喜欢?, 美不美丽?, 快不快乐?. Are both examples acceptable (correct)? Which one is more suitable or more correct in grammar? Anyone who knows, please reply.

“不” 常出现在问句中。其中一些例子是“是不是?, 会不会?, 要不要?”... 当动词或形容词有两个字时，“不”的前面的动词或形容词必须保持两个字，还是可以删去动词或形容词后面的那个字呢？任何懂得解答我的问题的人，请答复我。

[skylee]

However, if the verb or adjective is made up of 2 words, like 可以, 喜欢, 美丽, 快乐... In this case, if I ask question, the verb or adjective will become 可以不可以?, 喜欢不喜欢?, 美丽不美丽?, 快乐不快乐?. When speaking, some people may say 可不可以?, 喜不喜欢?, 美不美丽?, 快不快乐?. Are both examples acceptable (correct)? Which one is more suitable or more correct in grammar?

通常會說 "可不可以"、 "喜不喜歡"。但有時候 (例如在歌詞中) 也會用"可以不可以"、 "喜歡不喜歡"，也不能說是錯。

[Song You Shen]

When I was learning about this, I was told that it was fine to split the phrase if the word was a "verb-object". My teacher was adamant about how many younger Chinese students are becoming lazy and saying things like, "喜不喜歡". She would say that this is not the proper way of speaking. Since 喜歡 is not a verb-object it cannot be broken up.

Youshen

[trusmis]

I'm just a beginner but I've never heard 可以不可以, I always heart 可不可以

[自由翱翔]

I'm just a beginner but I've never heard 可以不可以, I always heart 可不可以

The two are both OK.

可不可以is short for the phrase可以不可以，especially in spoken Chinese.

[nanyangguy]

Any language websites which contain the related topic? People are saying different things. Please kindly inform me.

[Altair]

A Practical Chinese Grammar by Hung-nin Samuel Cheung says deletion is impossible:

"If the verb is in two syllables (AB), repeat the entire form in the interrogative: AB 不 AB. A truncated form, as in the following example, is generally considered ill-formed in standard Chinese.

(6) *你认不认识他?

*Nǐ rèn bu rènshi tā?

Do you know him?"

(The asterix conventionally indicates ungrammatical or unacceptable forms.)

On the other hand,

Chinese: A Comprehensive Grammar by Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington says deletion is permissible:

If the verb or modal verb used in the question is disyllabic, the second syllable of the affirmative verb may be omitted:

你打不打算在这儿待下去? nǐ dǎ bù dǎsuan zài zhèr dāi xiàqù

Do you intend to stay here?

instead of

你打算不打算在这儿待下去? nǐ dǎsuan bù dǎsuan zài zhèr dāi xiàqù

你喜不喜欢看电视剧? nǐ xǐ bù xǐhuan kàn diànshìjù

Do you like (watching) television plays?

instead of:

你喜欢不喜欢看电视剧? nǐ xǐhuan bù xǐhuan kàn diànshìjù

To complete the confusion,

Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar by Charles N. Li and Sandra A. Thompson takes the position that deleting the second syllable is a feature of "Mandarin influenced by southern dialects." This book says:

"A-not-A questions in which the second syllable of the verb or auxiliary in the first clause is deleted are extremely common in this kind of Mandarin." Three examples are listed, whose format I have changed for simplicity and clarity for this board:

你知不知道他是我的弟弟? nǐ zhī- bu zhīdào tā shi wǒ de dìdì?

Did you know he is my brother?

他可不可以出去? tā kě- bu kěyǐ chū qu?

Does he have permission to go out?

你认不认识她? nǐ rèn- bu rènshi tā?

Do you recognize her?

From all this confusion, my guess is that no formal consensus has been arrived around these forms, expecially because of regional variation. From what I recall, deletion of the second syllable is the norm in Cantonese. Is it even possible to say in Cantonese something like: 你知道唔知道佢係我個弟弟? In contrast, it may be that deletion of the second syllable is impossible in Beijinghua. In Beijinghua, can you ever say: 你知不知道?

From what I have read, there is similar hesitation, perhaps because of regional variation, about such forms as:

他有买那个房子. Tā yǒu mǎi nèi ge fángzi.

He bought that house.

and

他有没有买那个房子. Tā yǒu méi yǒu mǎi nèi ge fángzi?

Did he buy that house?

I think that such forms are not acceptable to everyone and that the first example is particularly questionable for some speakers.

The forms that would be acceptable to everyone would be:

他买了那个房子. Tā mǎi le nèi ge fángzi.

He bought that house.

and

他买了那个房子没有. Tā mǎi le nèi ge fángzi meiyou?

Did he buy that house?

By the way, is it ever possible in Cantonese to have the repeated form at the end of the sentence like this last example? Is there a direct Cantonese equivalent of 你喜欢那个菜不喜欢?