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What is the function of か in this sentence. [Grammar]

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turvy

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In the following sentence I took from JGram:
彼をどう思っているか話してみたい気がする。
I feel like telling him what I think of him.
What's the function of か? Just pointing out the grammar pattern / reference would be really helpful.
 
It serves as the question word, in this case, the "what".
 
Mmm. It would be more clear if I could see other examples where か behaves similarly. Do you have any? I can't find this grammar function of か anywhere (probably because I am not searching correctly).
 
か shows that the clause is an indirect quotation of a question.

誰が犯人か知らない。
I don't know who the perpetrator is.

彼女がいつ来るか教えて。
Tell me when she will come.

彼がなぜそこにいるかわからない。
I don't know why he is there.
 
Thanks, the sentences are really helpful.

I don't know what an indirect quotation of a question means though. I tried googling to no avail.
 
Sorry, the term "indirect quotation" is not appropriate in those examples. Those are all "indirect question".

an example of indirect quotation
どこに行けばいいか彼女は尋ねた。
She asked where she should go.
 
I think I get it, for example, the indirect question in "I don't know who the perpetrator is." is who is the perpetrator? and so forth.

As for an indirect quotation, I guess is like a quotation without using quotes or in Japanese と言う or 「」. Does that make sense?.
 
That's right.

direct question
誰が犯人ですか
Who is the perpetrator?

indirect question clause
誰が犯人か
who the perpetrator is

direct quotation
「何をすればいいですか」と彼は尋ねた。
"What should I do?" he asked.

indirect quotation
何をすればいいか彼は尋ねた。
He asked what he should do.
 
I see. Thank you for your help Toritoribe and Half-n-Half.
 
Toritoribe said:
an example of indirect quotation
どこに行けばいいか彼女は尋ねた。
She asked where she should go.
Click to expand...
Hello, I found this interesting and subsequently I have decided to make my first post here!
Question 1:
Is the usage of indirect quotation less polite?
In the case of the indirect question sentence I have hard time hearing that in a polite setting; seeing how it
doesn't have a copula (です). Is this correct?
Question 2:
This is slightly unrelated. I haven't come across the verb たずねる before, is it that the verb is less common,
or is it just that it's something that they might not teach you at a university?
Thank you on beforehand!
 
1)
Non-polite forms are ALWAYS used in indirect quotations or questions. Thus, the listner/writer can't know whether the original question is polite or casual in the indirect quotation.

彼は「彼女は学生ですか」と聞いた。 --> 彼は彼女が学生（なの）かどうか聞いた。
彼は「彼女は学生なの？」と聞いた。 --> 彼は彼女が学生（なの）かどうか聞いた。

The politeness of the indirect question is provided by the honorific verb, if it's needed.

先生がいついらっしゃるか教えてください。
その人が何を話されたかはわかりません。

2)
尋ねる is also common. 聞く is more colloquial.
 
Thanks for the reply (a quick one at that!).

I still have some trouble wrapping my head around the concept; I appreciate your patience.

as for the first sentence: "彼は彼女が学生（なの）かどうか聞いた"
What function does the "
どうか" have?
It would also be of some assistance if you would be so kind as to translate that sentence. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thank you
 
I believe どうか can be used when you are expecting a yes or no answer.
 

I understand that 'ka dou ka' means whether or not. "He asked whether or not she is a student."
 
Thanksfor all the help!

I thank you also for the great site recommendation.
 
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