In this paper (the second part is H. Parret 1981: 'La question et la requête: Vers une théorie anthropologique de l'acte de poser une question, part 2') P. evaluates a number of theories of questions. He discusses a typology of question types, he sketches some conditions for an adequate theory of questions, and on this basis he criticizes purely semanticand erotetic-logical approaches to the problem, he sketches the contribution of speech act theory, and he discusses the psycho-pragmatic approach to the act of asking a question.