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'''Inquisitive semantics''' is a framework for analyzing information exchange. A lot of linguistics starts from saying "sentences are propositions", and treats questions as second-class. InqSem sees all utterances as proposals to update the established information, where statements propose a single update and questions propose a set of alternatives.

== Introduction ==

=== Information states and issues ===

Imagine a lock with a two-digit code, where each digit is either 0 or 1. We can consider the four _possible worlds_ that correspond to the various codes that might open the lock, and name these worlds 00, 01, 10, and 11.

An '''information state''' is a set of possible worlds: {00, 01} is the information state corresponding to "the first digit is 0". Getting more information about the real world means ''narrowing down'' this set of possible worlds.

An '''issue''' is a non-empty set of information states under consideration, each of which would "resolve the issue". For example, the question "what is the first digit?" raises the issue:<ref>Actually, the ''real'' issue is this set's "downward closure" — if {00, 01} is in an issue, then so are {00} and {01} and the empty set. This reflects the idea that "the code is 00" and "the code is 01" and "(a contradiction)" all also resolve the issue of what the first digit is.</ref>

:{"the first digit is 0", "the first digit is 1"}<br>
:= { {00, 01}, {10, 11} }

and a question like "Is the code 10, or is it 11?" raises this issue:

:{"the code is 10", "the code is 11"}<br>
:= { {10}, {11} }

which is still a question, but also dismisses the possibility that the code is 00 or 01. Meanwhile, a declarative sentence like "the code is 11" raises the issue:

:{"the code is 11"}<br>
:= { {11} }

which no longer contains alternatives that are "being questioned" and purely narrows down the set of possible worlds.

Propositions are identified by the issues that they raise. When we utter a proposition ''P'', we both suggest that the real world is in ∪''P'', and ask for further information that would ''resolve'' the issue raised by ''P''.

=== Denoting {{t|hí}} ===

Thus, you can imagine {{t|Nuo hí poq?}} ("Which person sleeps?") as denoting something like:

:{"{{t|Nuo}} ''p''" | {{t|poq}}(''p'')}<br>
:= {"{{t|Nuo jí}}", "{{t|Nuo súq}}", …}<br>
:= { {w<sub>j</sub>, w<sub>j'</sub>, …}, {w<sub>s</sub>, w<sub>s'</sub>, …}, …}

The union of these subsets covers all the worlds where ''some'' person sleeps, but they are partitioned in a way that raises the issue of precisely ''which'' person sleeps.

== See also ==

* [[Indirect question]]

A more thorough introduction is [https://kjelljs.github.io/courses/inqsem.html this set of handouts] from a course on InqSem.

For all the gory details, see the [https://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/academic/pdf/openaccess/9780198814788.pdf Inquisitive Semantics book] and [https://champollion.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2015-inquisitive-handout.pdf ''Some questions in typed inquisitive semantics''] (for an exact denotation of "which" / hí).