ABSTRACT
Questions in discourse are typically thought of as the primary means through which speakers and writers request information. Questions in discourse also serve to establish rapport with addressees, advance conversation and technology-mediated interaction, stimulate deeper thinking about issues and topics, influence ways in which information is presented and intended to be understood, and request action or behavioral compliance. Question types fall into the category of yes-no questions, wh- questions, tag questions, and declarative statements with rising intonation that function as if they are questions. Questioning in discourse reveals much about speakers’ and writers’ stances vis-à-vis the information they are referring to as well as their interlocutors.
