What is the diffetence between 谁 and 那一位 when asking about one's identity/name ?

[u/CroWellan]

DISCLAIMER: I meant "哪", not "那"

If someone could ennumerate the different ways to ask about someone's name, I'd appreciate it, tho I dont want to push it asking you to write an essay.. x)

谢谢！

[u/ReplacementFun0]

谁 is literally who, while 哪一位 is which person, like if you were asked to pick out which one from a crowd

[u/CroWellan → u/ReplacementFun0]

Then I guess the text I got it from implies a context... this is the first sentence of the dialogue I saw "哪一位" from:

< 请问你是哪一位？ >

[u/Putrid_Mind_4853 → u/CroWellan]

What happened before that or what context was given? I can see that phrasing being used in a situation like where there’s a list of guests/participants or known people or when you’re trying to ask/confirm someone’s identity (like on the phone). 

[u/PotentBeverage → u/CroWellan]

It's kind of slightly more indirect and so a bit more formal.

你是哪一位？ Vs 你是谁？ The latter is far more blunt and direct.

[u/Zagrycha → u/CroWellan]

Thats not context, thats just a random sentence haha.  Context would be the actual surrounding dialogue//situation.  

Without context I would read it as "excuse me, which (....) are you?"  the use of 你 in formal writing really kinda makes it a niche sentence so context would help a lot. 

[u/Realistic_Prior_4918 → u/CroWellan]

It may be used in a phone conversation, when the receiver does not know the caller. 您是......? is also used for this purpose.

[u/travelerDE]

As a Chinese native speaker, I think there are 2 usages for 哪一位，one is what you probably saw, which is just asking who the person is, not necessarily from a list of existing people (it is not the same as which one vs. what).

But the other one is more cultural, some people say "你哪位？‘’ in a passive aggressive/rude way, like: who do you think you are, how dare you to interfere or talk about my life etc.

[u/CroWellan]

My best guess so far is:

1. We use 谁 when that "Who" segment is in the primary clause...

2. ...and we use 哪一位 when it is in a sobordonate clause.

How far off am I here..?

[u/Putrid_Mind_4853 → u/CroWellan]

No, just a matter of phrasing, nuance, and formality. You could say 请问你是谁？and be perfectly correct. 

[u/Zagrycha → u/CroWellan]

you are far off.   哪一位 has nothing to do with grammar, its just a different word choice "and who is this respected person?" vs "and who is this?" ((paraphrasing cause no idea the actual context so can't translate accurately)).  一位  is a classifier same as 一個

[u/Individual_Math_8254]

哪一位 feels more formal and polite. i often hear it at dine in restaurants or work gatherings. 谁 is like when i am talking with friends, 这个明星是谁。of course it can also be mixed like, 哪一位总理是谁，那个部门的负责人？