Yes—no questions are not alternative questions
pp. 87-105
in: Henry Hi (ed), Questions, Berlin, Springer, 1978Abstract
The first person as best I can recall who suggested that yes—no questions be regarded as a special type of alternative question was H. O. Coleman in 1914. He was followed by Harold Palmer in 1922 (78) and by Gerhard Dietrich in 1937 (242–43). Navarro Tomas in 1944 mentioned Dietrich's treatment (167) but expressed doubts about it. In 1957 I reviewed the arguments and added some doubts of my own (114–15).