Short replies in Italian: Sì / no and other markers between polarity and agreement

On the background of the well-known distinction between polarity and agreement particles (Moravsik 1971; Pope 1973), the Italian particles sì/no have been described both as polarity markers (cf. Bernini, 1995) and agreement markers (cf. Bazzanella, 1995). While these two values are often combined in actual speech (sì = positive polarity, agreement; no = negative polarity, disagreement), they conflict when speakers have to reply to negative utterances. For instance, in replying to a negative question (e.g. “Didn't you read this book?”), the particle no would either assert a negative polarity for the content under discussion (“I didn’t”) or reject the negative polarity proposed by the question (“That’s not true” = “I did”). Replies to negative utterances are therefore a crucial context to investigate for a deeper understanding of the use of particles in short replies. The study investigates the use of Italian sì/no and other possible replying options at work in short replies to negative questions and assertions, in data collected ad hoc with two dialogic tasks (Interviews, MapTasks). The analysis compares positive and negative short replies to both assertions and questions. Results show that sì/no are mainly used as polarity markers, but the use of no as a marker of disagreement arises when conversationally marked moves are at play: in replies rejecting the previous turn assumptions (vs. confirming replies) and in replies to assertions (vs. replies to questions). In the same contexts, the use of more explicit markers increases on both the (dis)agreement and the polarity axes respectively, through the use of further particles and systematic recourse to echo replies. In providing a data-based description of the use of Italian particles, results offer support to the markedness hypothesis proposed for a typology of short-repliy systems (Farkas & Bruce 2010). © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.