The discourse contributions of English wh-exclamatives: Evidence from addressee responses

This paper examines the discourse role of English wh -exclamatives, focusing on how -exclamatives and what a -exclamatives. Previous research has mainly emphasized their expressive and evaluative functions, while paying little attention to how addressees respond to them in interaction. Using data from authentic conversations and fictional dialogues in the British National Corpus (BNC), the study investigates the range of addressee reactions, including confirmations and rejections. The findings support earlier claims that wh -exclamatives often receive no overt response. However, responses occur more frequently than previously assumed: around one in five exclamatives in conversational data and one in six in fictional dialogues receive some form of uptake. These reactions include both implicit acknowledgment and explicit confirmation or challenge. The results show that addressees can actively intervene in response to exclamatives, challenging the view that they are purely expressive or non-assertive. Explicit reactions suggest that exclamatives may carry a degree of assertive force and are therefore open to negotiation in discourse. By systematically analyzing addressee behavior, the study offers an empirically grounded account of the discourse function of wh -exclamatives and contributes to broader discussions of evaluative stance and stancetaking.