대화 속의 수사 질문 - 극성 전환과 의문사구 해석의 문제를 중심으로

Rhetorical Question in Conversation

  In general, a rhetorical question has the illocutionary force of an assertion of the opposite polarity from what is apparently asked. In Russian rhetorical questions function as rhetorical use of question-answer pairs, reflexive rhetorical question, real rhetorical question and rhetorical question as retort. This various types of rhetorical questions reveal the multiple communicative functions of rhetorical question in conversation. Rhetorical questions and ordinary questions do not pattern alike with respect to various conditions. Rhetorical Yes-No question denotes the negative polarity and in rhetorical Wh-questions, the Wh-phrase denotes the empty set. The polarity reversal effects in the interpretation of rhetorical questions fall out from the semantics of questions and the general pragmatic principle of informativeness. As an indirect speech act, rhetorical question can mitigate or strengthen face-risk. So rhetorical question can be used to induce the addressees mental recognition of its obviousness and the acceptance of validity in argumentative conversation.