Question/Answer Congruence and the Semantics of wh-phrases

Abstract

This paper is about the semantics of wh-phrases. It is argued that wh-phrases should not be analyzed as indefinites as, for example, Karttunen (1977) and many others have done, but as functional expressions with an indefinite core - their function being to restrict possible focus/background structures in direct or congruent answers. This will be argued for on the basis of observations made with respect to the distribution of term answers in well-formed question/answer sequences. This claim having been established, it will then be integrated into a variant of Schwarzschild's (1999) information-theoretical approach to F-marking and accent placement, and - second - its consequences with respect to the focus/background structure of wh-questions will be outlined.