1. Introduction

This article introduces the syntactic pragmatic differences in the response mechanism of yes/no questions between English and Chinese, pointing out that English usually answers with 'yes/no', while Chinese may repeat verbs or answer 'yes' depending on the context. In a neutral context, English directly uses' yes' as a positive answer, while Chinese requires repeating verbs. Under biased context, English still uses' yes/no ', while Chinese can repeat verbs or answer' yes/no ', which is related to the interrogator's judgment bias. The article proposes that existing research has focused more on the relationship between response markers and proposition polarity, and has failed to reflect the influence of interrogator bias. Based on Wiltschko's "Interactive Ridge Hypothesis", this article will explore the interpretation of propositional relationships, syntactic structures, and the application of propositional interaction analysis in the response of English and Chinese yes/no questions.

2. Research Review

Reviewing Holmberg's (2016) analysis of polarity and omission, the response marker is considered as a part of the answer proposition, corresponding to the positive or negative polarity of the proposition. Holmberg believes that the set of answer options for non interrogative sentences includes two propositions with opposite polarities of affirmative and negative. The respondent selects the true proposition based on the actual situation and uses the corresponding response marker to answer. He proposed that the core parts of both question and answer sentences are polar phrases PolP, with question sentences introducing interrogative language features and answer sentences introducing focal phrases FocP. The parts of the answer that are consistent with the question can be omitted. Holmberg also applied the same structural analysis to the response mode of Chinese yes/no questions, believing that the use of repeated verbs in Chinese, like the use of yes in English, is a means of assigning the [± Pol] feature in the FocP of the answer sentence.

3. Propositional Interaction and Response to English Chinese Biased Questions

In depth exploration of the syntactic pragmatic mechanisms of yes/no question responses in English and Chinese, particularly the role of proposition interaction in syntactic structure. Firstly, by introducing contextual information such as background knowledge and evidence, the influence of the speaker's perspective on sentence structure was analyzed, as well as the research progress on evaluative and evidential markers. Furthermore, Wiltschko (2021) extended the syntactic structure by combining the interactive domain with the propositional structure, demonstrating the complex interactive relationships between propositions during the conversation process. The background layer in the interactive domain is subdivided into speaker background and listener background, and the consistency of propositions between different levels is reflected through the coincidence feature [coin (violence)].

4. Analysis of Propositional Interaction in Response Structures of Other Sentences in English and Chinese

An in-depth analysis was conducted on the mechanism of proposition interaction between the English word 'yes' and the Chinese word' yes' in response to different sentence types. Yes and "yes" are not only used for answering yes/no questions, but also for responding to declarative and exclamatory sentences, expressing recognition of the speaker's proposition. In English, affirmative and negative markers can be used in conjunction with a response, such as' Yeah no ', where' Yeah 'indicates agreement with the speaker's viewpoint, and' No 'negates the polarity of the proposition. The combination of the two does not create semantic contradictions. Yes and "yes" can also respond to special interrogative sentences, expressing that the respondent and the questioner have the same question. In Chinese, 'yes' can also be used to respond to neutral questions, such as positive and negative questions and yes/no questions, to express that the respondent has similar questions or believes that the question is worth exploring. When responding to special and non special questions, the respondent does not directly answer the question, but expresses their agreement with the question using 'yes' or' yes'. In actual conversations, the respondent may give a clear answer after responding or answer the polarity of the proposition through repeated verbs.

5. Conclusion

Starting from the differences in response markers between English and Chinese yes/no questions, this paper analyzes the answer structure and response structure, and explores the syntactic pragmatic differences in response mechanisms between English and Chinese. Research has found that answer structures focus on proposition polarity, response structures reflect proposition interaction, and differences in English and Chinese response styles reflect differences in structure and feature implementation. Response markers are not only used for yes/no questions, but can also be used to respond to different sentence types and express identification with the speaker. The study introduces out of sentence propositions into syntactic structures, linking response markers with proposition interaction, with the aim of promoting academic attention to the issue of out of sentence proposition interaction.