On two varieties of negative polar interrogatives in Japanese

2. Three interpretations of negative polar interrogatives • Ladd (1981) distinguishes two varieties of negative polar interrogatives, which are epistemically biased toward the opposite directions. o the “outside NEG” question: conveys a positive bias; “the speaker believes a proposition P and wants confirmation” o the “inside NEG” question: conveys a negative bias; “the speaker has just inferred a proposition ¬P” • The “outside NEG” question is compatible with a positive polarity item such as too, but not a negative polarity item such as either; the “inside NEG” shows the opposite pattern.