Polar question in the context of "Question"

Play Trivia Questions online!

 or

Skip to study material about Polar question in the context of "Question"
Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: Polar question

In linguistics, a yes–no question, also known as a binary question, a polar question, or a general question, is a closed-ended question whose expected answer is one of two choices, one that provides an affirmative answer to the question versus one that provides a negative answer to the question. Typically, the choices are either "yes" or "no" in English. Yes–no questions present an exclusive disjunction, namely a pair of alternatives of which only one is a felicitous answer. In English, such questions can be formed in both positive and negative forms:

  • positive yes/no question: "Will you be here tomorrow?"
  • negative yes/no question: "Won't you be here tomorrow?"

Yes–no questions are in contrast with non-polar wh-questions. The latter are also called content questions, and are formed with the five Ws plus an H ("who", "what", "where", "when", "why", "how"). Rather than restricting the range of possible answers to two alternatives, content questions are compatible with a broad range of alternative answers. For example, questions beginning with "who", involve a set of several alternatives, from which one is to be drawn; in this respect, they are open-ended questions. In contrast, yes–no questions are closed-ended questions, as they only permit one of two answers, namely "yes" or "no".

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
In this Dossier

Polar question in the context of Asking

A question is an utterance which serves as a request for information. Questions are sometimes distinguished from interrogatives, which are the grammatical forms, typically used to express them. Rhetorical questions, for instance, are interrogative in form but may not be considered bona fide questions, as they are not expected to be answered.

Questions come in a number of varieties. For instance; Polar questions are those such as the English example "Is this a polar question?", which can be answered with "yes" or "no". Alternative questions such as "Is this a polar question, or an alternative question?" present a list of possibilities to choose from. Open questions such as "What kind of question is this?" allow many possible resolutions.

↑ Return to Menu

Polar question in the context of Echo response

In linguistics, an echo answer or echo response is a way of answering a polar question without using words for yes and no. The verb used in the question is simply echoed in the answer, negated if the answer has a negative truth-value. For example:

  • "Did you go to the cinema?" (or "Didn't you go to the cinema?")
  • "I did not." or "I didn't go."
↑ Return to Menu
LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Asking ← Question ← Alternative question ← Wh-question ← Echo response
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Linguistics → Closed-ended question → Affirmation and negation → Yes and no → Exclusive disjunction → Wh-question → Five Ws → Open-ended question →