Chapter 6
Complexities of responding
Confirming responses to pseudo-tag questions in Korean conversation
This paper examines three forms of confirming responses to pseudo-tag questions in Korean conversation:
unelaborated type-conforming responses with affirmative particles alone, elaborated responses with affirmative particles
followed by elaboration, and nonconforming responses. The respondent’s selection of a particular form of response represents a
solution to multiple contingencies involved in providing confirmation. When producing affirmative particles alone, respondents
do nothing more than confirming and treat the question as in need of a mere confirmation. In producing elaborated
type-conforming responses, respondents tend to avoid unwanted understandings that a simple yes particle can
bring. They may address the action implemented by the question, often in affiliation with the questioner. Nonconforming
responses tend to treat the question as problematic, proposing a problem with the legitimacy or relevance of the question.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.An overview of polar questions and their responses in Korean conversation
- 3.Data
- 4.Unelaborated type-conforming responses
- 5.Elaborated type-conforming responses
- 6.Nonconforming responses
- 7.Confirming responses, question formats, and epistemic gradients
- 8.Conclusion
-
References