Greek semantic domain

Markers for a Negative Response to Questions

The use of a negative marker in questions designed for an affirmative response (that is, those indicating agreement) is far more complex than might appear to be the case. In reality, the negative markers οὐ[b] (semantic domain 69.11), οὐχί[b] (semantic domain 69.12), and οὐ μή[b] (semantic domain 69.13) are designed to elicit agreement with the intent of the question, even though it is seemingly negatively posed. It is this complex form which gives rise to different ways in which agreement is signaled in different languages. In most Indo-European languages agreement is signaled by the answer meaning ‘yes,’ but in some languages the same agreement is indicated by ‘no’ as a kind of echo of the negative particle. The converse exists for negative responses, that is, those indicating disagreement.