Taking Issue with a Question While Answering It: Prefatory Particles and Multiple Sayings of Polar Response Tokens in French

Abstract

This article examines three practices in responses to polar questions in French: prefacing a polar response token (e.g., oui [“yes”] or non [“no”]) with the particle ah (e.g., ah oui), prefacing with the particle ben (e.g., ben oui), and producing more than one token (e.g., oui=oui). The analysis suggests that such responses serve to take issue with the question; specifically, respondents display the answer to be obvious or redundant, challenge the questioner’s unknowing stance, or disalign with the further action implications of the question while still providing a polar answer. Comparisons are made with other practices for exerting agency in responses and with resources described for other languages. The resources available in French help participants differentiate in which way the respondent takes issue with the question, notwithstanding significant local particularization by reference to the specific question and its context. Data are in French, with English translation.