Question-Word Questions Posing as Yes-No Questions

[Terra]

Sometimes, a question that expects an answer other than "yes" or "no", looks like a question that does expect "yes" or "no". Example: "Would you like pancakes or waffles?". In theory, one could answer "yes", and still have answered the question faithfully. However, in practice, one expects an answer of either "pancakes", "waffles", or a combination of the two.

My question is, do other languages allow this kind of construct? Or do they require rewording the sentence to something like: "Which would you like? Pancakes or waffles?".

(Also, I notice that for such an ambiguous question, one can remove the ambiguity by listening to the pitch. (Of course, this is lost in the orthography.) A yes-no question raises the pitch at the end of the sentence. A question-word question raises the pitch on each option, except the last.)

[installer_swan]

In both Hindi/Urdu and Tamil, the standard phrasing of such questions would be "waffles want-INTERROG or pancakes want-INTERROG", so 'yes' is no longer a valid answer. You could however phrase it as in the english example you give with just one instance of "want" in which case 'yes' is a technically valid answer, same as the English example you give.

[clawgrip]

In Japanese the question, "Would you like pancakes or waffles?" expects a yes/no answer, e.g., "Yes, I would like pancakes and/or waffles." The normal phrasing is, "Which do you want, pancakes or waffles?"

[treskro]

Mandarin can accommodate both, but uses different words for "or". The question expecting a yes/no answer also takes the interrogative particle 嗎 at the end of the sentence.

(which would you like, X or Y) > you want X either/or Y? > 你要X還是Y?
(do you want either X or Y?) > you want X or Y INTERROG? > 你要X或者Y嗎?

[Pole, the]

In Polish, the question marker czy must be used in such question:

Kawa czy herbata?
coffee Q tea
"Coffee or tea?" (Which one do you want?)

Instead of the standard alternative conjunction:

Kawa lub herbata?
coffee or tea
"Coffee or tea?" (Do you want either?)

[hwhatting]

German is like English in this respect.

[finlay]

I tend to answer "yes" when I want both, in this situation...