Accessibility Theory in Linguistics

Abstract

Natural discourse weaves together Given (already known) and New information. But their differential roles in communication dictates that speakers distinguish between these two types of information. Linguistically marking information as Given facilitates comprehension, thus contributing to communicative efficiency. At the heart of Accessibility theory is the concept of accessibility of the mental representations associated with Given discourse referents or chunks of information. These representations come in fine gradations and are more salient or less salient to the addressee at different points in the discourse. The claim is that the Accessibility principles argued for are the natural language response to this state of affairs. Accessibility theory explains speakers’ choices between alternative linguistic expressions, e.g., definite descriptions, pronouns, zeros, etc., which denote information already available to the addressee. The main claim is that each referring expression is specialized for a different relative degree of mental accessibility, and addressees rely on these cues when accessing the speaker-intended referents. The degree of accessibility associated with a particular discourse entity is a function of a complex set of factors, involving both linguistic (e.g., subjecthood, Givenness), and non-linguistic factors (e.g., visual salience). Accessibility theory proposes that overall, less informative, nonrigid (potentially ambiguous), phonologically attenuated referential forms, such as zeroes and unstressed personal pronouns, typically retrieve highly accessible referents, while more informative, rigid, and unattenuated expressions, such as definite descriptions and proper names, retrieve less accessible referents. Reflecting a cognitive principle, Accessibility theory is predicted to hold cross-linguistically. Moreover, it is applicable to linguistic phenomena other than reference, such as word order, Given information constructions, language acquisition and language change. At the same time, Accessibility theory cannot account for every distributional fact associated with referential forms. These may show different degrees of sensitivity to different factors cross-linguistically. More importantly, in order to account for the production and comprehension of referring expressions, Accessibility theory must be complemented by a general Gricean theory of inference. Indeed, the theory very comfortably fits within Sperber and Wilson’s Relevance theory, where the retrieval of accessible representations is a crucial step in processing incoming utterances. Several well-known theories, most prominently Centering, and the Givenness Hierarchy, offer valuable insights into the process of organizing information and/or reference. Centering theory only partially overlaps with Accessibility theory, whereas the Givenness Hierarchy directly competes with it. Sofiana Lindemann’s present work was supported by a grant of the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, CNCS - UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2020-0731, within PNCDI III. Mira Ariel gratefully acknowledges the financial support received from the Israel Science Foundation (grant 1398/20) for carrying out the research here undertaken.