A Comparative Study of Responses to Negative Questions in English and Indonesian

Abstract

This study mainly discusses how responses to negative questions are given in English and Indonesian. The data are taken from conversations in talk shows, Just Alvin and The Oprah Winfrey Show. The findings show that in English, the pattern of responding to negative questions is polarity-based. They also show that English speakers are close-observant to it as all the data exhibit 100% conformity with the pattern. Yet, in Indonesian the pattern is truth-based. However, Indonesian speakers sometimes shift to the polarity-based pattern, suggesting high flexibility in Indonesian syntax.

Keywords: Comparative Study, Responses, Negative Questions