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In:Responding to Polar Questions across Languages and Contexts
Edited by Galina B. Bolden, John Heritage and Marja-Leena Sorjonen
[Studies in Language and Social Interaction 35] 2023
► pp. 1–39

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Chapter 1
Introduction

Polar questions and their responses

 | Rutgers University
 | University of California Los Angeles
 | University of Helsinki
Published online: 27 November 2023
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https://doi.org/10.1075/slsi.35.01bol
Abstract
Question–answer sequences are arguably among the most basic building blocks for sequences of action in interaction and are ubiquitous among the languages of the world. This chapter reviews and synthesizes current interactional research on polar questions and answers across languages in order to contextualize the work assembled in this volume. We introduce grammatical and pragmatic resources for forming and recognizing polar questions, discuss principles of polar question design, and overview different types of polar responses. We conclude the chapter with a preview of the included studies, a discussion of their contributions, and suggestions for future research directions.
Article outline
  • 1.What is a polar question?
  • 2.The use of polar and content questions in conversation
  • 3.Grammatical resources for forming polar questions across languages
  • 4.Epistemic asymmetry as a basis for recognizing polar questions
  • 5.Principles of polar question design
    • 5.1Polar questions convey epistemic stances
      • 5.1.1What is the likely state of affairs
      • 5.1.2Epistemic (un)certainty
    • 5.2Polar questions convey preferences
    • 5.3Polar questions as vehicles for other actions
  • 6.Response design
    • 6.1Particle responses
    • 6.2Repetitional responses
    • 6.3Beyond particles and repetitions
  • 7.Overview of the volume
  • 8.Concluding remarks
  • Notes
  • References
References (147)
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Cited by (3)

Cited by three other publications

Clayman, Steven E. & John Heritage
2025. Coding Social Interaction: Prospects, Pitfalls, and Procedures. Research on Language and Social Interaction 58:3 ► pp. 221 ff. DOI logo
Fang, Hongmei
2025. Echo answers. Linguistic Typology 29:2 ► pp. 269 ff. DOI logo
Wu, Ruey-Jiuan Regina & John Heritage
2025. The Assertoric Nod: Non-concordant uses in responses to polar questions in English conversation. Discourse Studies 27:5 ► pp. 866 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 4 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

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