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As in title, can anyone tell me what lexical category the words 'who, what, why, where, when, how' are in?

Who are you? What are you? Why are you here? Where did you come from? When did you come? How is that possible?

I have read 'adverb', but there seems something unusual about them and that this isn't quite specific enough or necessarily correct.

Thank you

tchrist
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J doh
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All question words are not adverbs. They act as almost all of the parts of speech, except maybe as the verb.

From the Practical English Usage by Michael Swan:

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mahmud k pukayoor
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  • Swan is pretty good, but, as @tchrist says, 'By way of evidence, can you propose an “adverb test” that [central{ly used}] adverbs pass yet other types of words fail, a test which these wh-question words also pass? That would provide evidence that these are in the same word class as adverbs; without such a test, people will doubt your conclusion.' // And does 'act as adverbs' mean 'must be classed as adverbs in these usages'? Adverbial PPs 'act as adverbs'. – Edwin Ashworth Mar 09 '21 at 19:44
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As interrogatives "wh-" words are adverbs. They are old in English, and probably pre-date any development of Germanic dialects from the first Indo-European speakers.
These words are clearly related to the Latin "qu-" interrogatives such as "quis" quem" Quos" etc. In fact one can replace the English "wh-" with the Latin "qu-" and still be understood in English:

Quere are you going? Quat is that? etc.

Like Latin, the words seem related to the relative pronouns "who", "whose" etc, and "qui" , "quae" , "Quod" for example, in Latin.
As these interrogatives relate to action or being, they are adverbs.
Without doubt these words existed as far back as one can discover in the history of English. They have provided a means of asking questions, and some will place them in a special class of adverbs. I think that is extreme, as one will eventually have a special class for each word in the language at some point, if the principle of "special" is carried forth .
It should be enough to know they are adverbs and how they should be used.

J. Taylor
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    By way of evidence, can you propose an “adverb test” that adverbs pass yet other types of words fail, a test which these wh-question words also pass? That would provide evidence that these are in the same word class as adverbs; without such a test, people will doubt your conclusion. – tchrist Feb 12 '17 at 15:51
  • A snag is that 'Who/m did you hit?' Invites a DO rather than say a temporal expression for the answer. '*I hit Richardly' is a strong argument against lumping at least some of the wh-words into some adverb subclass. – Edwin Ashworth Feb 12 '17 at 16:02
  • Edwin Ashworth and tchrist-------I will suggest that there has been a confusion of "wh" adverbs with ;"wh" relative pronouns over many centuries------to the point that the confusion is all but codified with some words, such as "who", – J. Taylor Feb 12 '17 at 17:24
  • More-------"Whom" as far as I am concerned is not an interrogative. It is also a confusion. One should not ask: "To where are you going?", even if people might ask that.. If we do not classify the "wh" interrogatives as adverbs, then we must abandon rules in English or have a rule for each word, or, . completely abandon Graeco-Roman grammar as a model for English.I prefer the last. But this has not been done in any general sense. So, we are stuck with terms such as "adverb", which require use to exist. – J. Taylor Feb 12 '17 at 17:39
  • more---- As the "wh" interrogatives modify action or being, they will, I think, be adverbs until we no longer have adverbs.. – J. Taylor Feb 12 '17 at 17:40
  • I have just three questions for you. 1: *Which* point are you attempting to make by appealing to Latin here? 2: *Whom* have you consulted regarding the suitability of interrogatives fitting comfortably under the “adverb umbrella”? 3: Would you kindly explain your justification for claiming that those two wh- question words I’ve just used interrogatively in my first two questions to you here in this comment are “adverbs”, not respectively a determiner and a pronoun? I ask because these are genuine questions, and so I thank you in advance for your forthcoming answers to them. – tchrist Feb 12 '17 at 18:03
  • "1: Which point are you attempting to make by appealing to Latin here? " – J. Taylor Feb 12 '17 at 18:39
  • "1: Which point are you attempting to make by appealing to Latin here? " I have called up Latin twice, once in the history of English and once as to current grammar. Latin seems to have confused adverbs and relative pronouns much as English has, and English has depended on the Latin model. for its grammar since the time English has been written by Latin educated scribes. Words currently in question (wh) were adverbs in Latin where acting as interrogatives. AS in English, they could act in other functions, also.. "WHICH POINT", is not a "wh" interrogative, it is a noun with a modifier.. – J. Taylor Feb 12 '17 at 18:51
  • As an adverb, "which" could be used: "Which are you attempting ............" I'm sure had I grown up in a different time or place, I would, maybe, question how I am proceeding here. – J. Taylor Feb 12 '17 at 18:57
  • " 2: Whom have you consulted regarding the suitability of interrogatives fitting comfortably under the “adverb umbrella”? " However, I grew up when the propagation of book on top of book on grammar had not begun. There has been nothing simple as to English grammar, or "comfortable". But there has been, in the past, general consistency.. To answer the question, the words now in discussion were adverbs in my youth, as they were in Latin. I have not seriously consulted any others recently to form a notion about these words. Any grammar published in the last 20 years might cause me to laugh,...t. – J. Taylor Feb 12 '17 at 19:11
  • Some I have seen begin with premises I do not respect. As grammar is no laughing matter, I avoid these books on books.."Whom" in your question "2" is not really an adverb, the adverb would be "who" . There is not a mistake in grammar here, but the confusion with relative pronouns. "who have you consulted" has an adverb (who) modifying the predicate (have you consulted) in a interrogative word order. – J. Taylor Feb 12 '17 at 19:19