Exploring Exhaustivity in Wh-Questions through Analysis of Natural Language Usage

This study investigates the psychological factors that influence how a hearer interprets a speaker's intention in response to a question. The analysis focuses on wh-questions and the extent of exhaustivity required to fulfill the speaker's communicative goal. While previous research suggests that such questions typically elicit exhaustive answers, the findings presented here indicate that exhaustivity is not an inherent property of the question itself. Question paraphrase ratings were collected across varied linguistic contexts to support this conclusion. The results highlight the significance of both linguistic and discourse-level considerations-particularly the hearer's assessment of the speaker's intent-in shaping the interpretation of meaning in question-answer exchanges.