Insincere Questions: How to Deceive With Interrogatives

Abstract

This paper investigates how interrogative sentences, typically not regarded as a means of lying, can nonetheless be used to deceive and mislead. While most definitions of lying restrict it to assertions, questions can subtly lead listeners to adopt beliefs that the speaker does not endorse. By examining the semantic and pragmatic features that enable interrogatives to function as tools of deception, this paper explores non-canonical uses such as rhetorical and suggestive questions, as well as the lesser-known categories of questions conveying questions and questions conveying propositions, in misleading others. These uses demonstrate how interrogatives can operate deceptively, potentially challenging traditional conceptions of lying.