The intonation and meaning of normal yes/no questions

Abstract

The typical intonation of yes/no questions in American English is usually thought to be high‐rising. Accounts of yes/no questions also assume that the intonation of these questions is different from that of standard British English, which is thought to use a low‐rising intonation. This article challenges this belief and reports on a study that shows that American speakers of English do not distinguish between the high‐rising and low‐rising intonation, and argues that the supposed difference in intonation between the varieties is not accurate for yes/no questions. Finally, the results indicate that intonation of yes/no questions should be an unimportant issue in English language teaching because intonation on these questions appears to play a minimal role in the success of interactions between speakers from different varieties of English.