Differentiating between the use of “or” in questions

In a question such as "Does this word mean plenty or too much?" where the two words conjugated by "or" are similar in meaning could be asked in a way that a yes or no answer is expected instead of x or y. If the two options were seemingly unrelated or perhaps opposites, I guess we could assume from context that it is asked where it's this or that and not do x or y both/either satisfy the condition inquired in the question though the former type is still possible.

I wonder if this a recognized distinction and has a name.

Solution 1:

Consulting the venerable Cambridge Grammar of the English Language it's clear that it is a recognized distinction, discussed fully in Chapter 15 Section 2.2 (And and or), where it is framed in logician's terminology.

When both coordinates separated by or can be true (i.e. when or implicates "and"), it's called Inclusive disjunction, as in "Houses are cheaper in Perth than in Sydney or Melbourne" or (in a question format) "Who would like tea or coffee?".

The other one (i.e. Exclusiveness as an implicature of or) is called Exclusive disjunction, as in "He was born on Christmas Day 1950 or 1951".

In a question format, the same question can have different meanings depending on the intonation:

• "Would you like tea or coffee↗ ?" (inclusive)
• "Would you like tea↗ or coffee↘?" (exclusive)

In the first question, you can answer: "Yes, I would like tea or coffee" (Note: or is retained in the answer). But in the second question, "Both" is not a possible answer.