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In studying other languages (Korean at the moment) the use of “yes” and “no” when answering questions that are worded in the negative seems to be opposite English (at least American English) style. In Korean, the Question “You haven’t eaten yet?” Would be answered “Yes, I haven’t eaten yet.” While in English it would be answered “No, I haven’t eaten yet.” What are the English grammar rules for answering questions worded in the negative?

Tim McCraw
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  • The no form in your example is idiomatic in English, but both forms of usage are admitted in English. It's inherently ambiguous (at least technically) if you just respond with a one-word yes/no answer. – Lawrence Nov 13 '17 at 12:45
  • Two other examples, both from parts of Africa.... In one country, they would reply "Yes" if they agreed with your statement: Eg. Q: You haven't eaten yet? A: Yes But meaning: Your statement was true - ie. "No, I haven't eaten yet". In another country, they would answer (a double question?) with two replies - eg. "Yes... No"... But it didn't mean Yes to Q1 and No to Q2... it meant "Yes, I understood your question, and the answer is No". – Baard Kopperud Nov 13 '17 at 14:13
  • "Yes" is a proform for a positive polarity clause in English. "No" is a proform for a negative polarity clause. – Araucaria - Him Nov 13 '17 at 14:20
  • @Lawrence: Re "The no form in your example is idiomatic in English, but both forms of usage are admitted in English.": By "admitted" do you mean that while the yes form is the less common one in use, it isn't considered grammatically wrong by most native speakers? And is this true for all possible contexts, or restricted to a limited number of (casual/spoken/etc.) contexts? – HeWhoMustBeNamed Mar 23 '20 at 15:36
  • @HeWhoMustBeNamed In English, any yes/no question can be grammatically answered with either a yes or a no. – Lawrence Mar 24 '20 at 00:35
  • @Lawrence: Araucaria's comment above seems to disagree with that. So is the issue a matter of contention, a dialectal difference, and/or something else? – HeWhoMustBeNamed Apr 01 '20 at 09:36
  • @HeWhoMustBeNamed I don't see a disagreement between Araucaria's and my comments. There are 3 levels at play here: whether something is grammatical (easiest to satisfy), whether it is meaningful, and whether it is idiomatic. Comments addressing one level don't necessarily invalidate comments addressing a different level. – Lawrence Apr 01 '20 at 13:19

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