Referential Continuity Research Articles

The effects of discourse coherence on the persistence of sentence structures.

We studied the role of discourse coherence relations on structure formulation in sentence production by examining whether a connective, an essential signal of coherence relations, modulates the tendency for speakers to reuse sentence structures (i.e., structural priming). We further examined three possible modulating factors: the type of connectives (additive vs. adversative connective), event similarity (similar event vs. different event), and topic cohesion (with or without available anaphoric antecedent). In four structural priming experiments, native Dutch participants were asked to read either a Dutch double object sentence or a prepositional object sentence and describe pictures that depicted ditransitive events. Critically, the prime and the target either were linked by a connective (en "and" or maar "but") or were not linked. The verb overlap between the prime and the target was also manipulated. In Experiment 1, the presence of en facilitated structural priming, but only when the verbs were different. In Experiment 2, maar reduced structural priming when the verbs were repeated. Experiment 3 replicated the findings of Experiments 1 and 2 in a within-subjects design. In Experiment 4, there was no referential link between the sentences. Now there was no connective effect on structural priming. Taken together, we demonstrated that the insertion of a connective influences syntactic persistence. The connective effects vary across semantic properties of the connectives, event similarity, and referential continuity, suggesting that the production of sentence structure is modulated by speakers' prediction about listeners' inference of coherence relations between consecutive utterances. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

On Syntactic Integration and Semantico-Pragmatic Distribution of Mbya Guarani Purpose Coding Strategies

The aim of this paper is to describe the available strategies for coding purpose relations in Mbya, focusing on their semantico-pragmatic distribution. According to Dooley, Mbya Guarani presents two main different strategies involved in the coding of purpose relations: aguã nominalizations and vy-dependent clauses, and among the latter a motion-cum-purpose (MCP) construction subtype is included. These strategies differ in regard to the semantic class of the main verb, referential continuity between the dependent and the main unit, and the fact that the dependent form can be negated independently from the main clause—thus, establishing different degrees of integration within the main unit in each case—, but overlap in same-subject contexts that involve a directed motion verb. However, according to our data, speakers do not use these constructions interchangeably, whereas aguã nominalizations portray an intended hypothetical outcome of the event or state-of-affair (hereafter SoA) expressed in the matrix clause; vy-dependent clauses and motion-cum-purpose constructions consistently trigger a result interpretation, entailing that the intended SoA was successfully accomplished.

Sentence topics in Italian: An analysis on the CHROME Corpus

The present study deals with the phonetic description of sentence topics in Italian tourist guides’ speech. Topical coherence characterizes the communicative strategies that human experts adopt when delivering contents to the visitors of cultural sites. Topical progression, which ensures temporal, spatial, and referential continuity, is frequently expressed by sentence topics as well. The relevant literature generally supports the idea of a topic accent and a rising-falling (or “hat”) contour is described as the most frequent for the unmarked topic in Italian utterance structures, but other realizations are also possible. The hypothesis that we want to test in this work is whether this variability is due to specific factors. Hence, we investigate phonetic realization of sentence topics as a function of syntactic features -structure, function and weight- and textual-pragmatic features -discourse role considering ±aboutness, ±contrastiveness, ±givenness-. Specifically, tonal events, i.e., accents and boundaries, phonetic phrasing, and disfluency phenomena were investigated. Results show that both syntactic and pragmatic factors play a role in the phonetic realization of topics, though they act at different levels. In particular, disfluencies are found to be affected by syntactic weight and givenness, while tonal events seem to depend mainly on the discourse role.

COERÊNCIA REFERENCIAL E ORDEM ORACIONAL

Tomando por base o fenômeno da coerência referencial tal como entendido por Givón (1995; 2001b), analisamos suas consequências sintáticas na combinação de cláusulas. Com apoio em teorias funcionalistas que defendem a articulação de cláusulas em termos de gradiência (HAIMAN; THOMPSON, 1984; HOPPER; TRAUGOTT, 2003; GIVÓN, 2001b), descrevemos e analisamos 596 Cláusulas Hipotáticas Temporais do Corpus Sociolingüístico de la Ciudad de México (CSCM) e testamos a hipótese de Givón (1995; 2001b) sobre continuidade referencial em cláusulas mais integradas às que se articulam, observando a posição (anteposta, intercalada, posposta), seu tipo (desenvolvida, reduzida) e seus sujeitos (correferenciais ou não aos de suas nucleares). Nossos resultados mostram a atuação do princípio de marcação e sua dependência ao contexto (GIVÓN, 1995; 2001a) e do princípio de expressividade (DUBOIS; VOTRE, 2012), principalmente no uso de cláusulas intercaladas, formas menos marcadas nesse contexto, por expressarem maior coerência referencial do que as antepostas e pospostas. Concluímos que a combinação de orações serve a propósitos discursivos, mobilizando a coerência referencial no discurso, cujos meios sintáticos são expressos em cláusulas mais integradas à sua nuclear.

Anaphora Issue in Medical Discourse

Abstract The assertion from which we start our study is that in the last decades the anaphor has been defined relatively homogeneously from one researcher to another, from two perspectives: a. The syntactical-semantic perspective; and b. The rhetorical perspective - in the linguistics of the text, cultivated in pragmatics, in cognitive sciences, etc. We approach the anaphor in our research, from a syntactical-semantic perspective, as a semantic relation between two linguistic elements, in which the element with subsequent occurrence in the speech does not have a stand-alone meaning, being interpreted by reference to the antecedent. The objective of the research is to analyze the anaphora in the medical discourse. The descriptive-linguistic, analytical and contrastive methods are used in the research. One of the main conclusions is that in the medical discourse, the typology, the ways of accomplishing the anaphora, according to the criterion of referential continuity, are particularly complex.

A organização tópica nos livros didáticos de História do 6º ano do Ensino Fundamental

Este artigo pretende apresentar algumas reflexões sobre a constituição textual de livros didáticos atuais de história. Os livros analisados são do 6º ano do Ensino Fundamental. Quanto ao conteúdo temático, cada capítulo apresenta questões-chave que precisam ser introduzidas e mantidas ao longo do texto, daí a relevância de processos como a continuidade referencial. Através da análise das estratégias de continuidade referencial utilizadas nos livros em questão, o objetivo deste trabalho é verificar como ocorre a progressão referencial e como os tópicos / temas principais e secundários se apresentam e são mantidos, retomados e recategorizados de modo a permanecerem ao alcance da compreensão do leitor.

Zero, pronouns and clause-chaining: Toward a diachronic understanding

Morphological switch-reference systems have been described as complex structural phenomena with specific marking for chain-medial cataphoric referential continuity (SS) and discontinuity (DS). This paper attempt to place these synchronic structural systems in two explanatory contexts: First, the functional context of discourse structure and the management of nominal reference, with special attention given to the universal functions of zero, independent pronouns, anaphoric pronouns, pronominal agreement, conjunctions and non-finite verbal structures. And second, the diachronic processes via which complex synchronic switch-reference systems arise gradually from their simple building blocks.

Relações dêiticas no plano da memória: algumas incursões dos sintagmas nominais demonstrativos

O presente trabalho reúne contribuições que demonstram como o fenômeno da dêixis de memória pode suscitar no leitor a sensação de que o emprego de pronomes demonstrativos não relaciona tematicamente com a porção anterior que rompe a própria continuidade referencial. À medida que o processamento de uma informação contida em um objeto-referente é focalizado no campo demonstrativo da memória, costuma ocorrer a reativação de macrorrepresentações imediatamente. Verificamos, então, que esse tipo de dêitico, além de condensar, ao mesmo tempo, tanto a situação local instanciada, como a situação projetada, aponta para outras dimensões discursivas no próprio curso da textualidade.

Kontinuirano upućivanje na žive i nežive entitete u pisanom diskursu

The aim of this paper is to analyse referential continuity in written discourse. Holding a view that referring to an entity depends on the nature of the entity itself, we analysed reference to animate and inanimate entities separately. One of the characteristics of language is its referential function which helps us not only to identify referents but to refer to them continuously using a wide spectrum of referring expressions from unambiguous noun phrases and repetition to personal pronouns and demonstratives. The efficiency of establishing and maintaining referential continuity is assessed with the ability of readers to identify and track referents in text. The text we used for the analysis is a narrative story in English and Serbian.

Le pronom anaphorique ὅγε chez Homère

The Anaphoric Pronoun ὅγε in Homer An exhaustive analysis of the all the tokens of the demonstrative pronoun ὅ. followed by the particle γε in Homer shows that we must recognize a true pronoun ὅγε. Its function is to create an exclusive anaphora, i. e. to refer back to a referent evoked in the preceding discourse, excluding explicitly all other possible candidates. Due to this process of exclusive anaphora, ὅγε marks either identity or referential continuity, which explains its role in discourse. The semantic mechanism ὅγε generates makes it apt to express Ratified Topics, which explains its positional properties in the utterance (it is generally postpositive).

Meta-incommensurability Revisited

A popular rejoinder to the potential threat that incommensurability might pose to scientific realism has been the referential response: despite meaning variance, there can be referential continuity, which is sufficient for rational theory choice. This response has been charged with meta-incommensurability, according to which it begs the question by assuming realist metaphysics. However, realists take it to be a rhetorical device that hinders productive discussion. By reconstructing the debate, this paper aims to demonstrate two things. First, there are unexpected commonalities between realists and non-realists, meaning that the charge of meta-incommensurability is more or less exaggerated. Second, meta-incommensurability, which is to be found in the ways to make sense of referential overlap at the token level, still plays a role in the realism debate.

¿Desarrollo progresivo de la ciencia sin continuidad referencial? Acerca del realismo de Psillos y la teoría del germoplasma de Weismann DOI:10.5007/1808-1711.2010v14n3p335

In this paper I argue for the idea that, throughout the history of science, there are some cases of theory change that would show how science develops with no referential continuity. For this purpose, I analyze Psillos’ proposal of a theory of reference used to account for referential continuity in conceptual transitions. This kind of continuity is requested by Psillos —as by other philosophers— in his defense of scientific realism. By means of a historical case, the theory of germplasm of August Weismann, I intend to demonstrate that Psillos’ demand for reference continuity can be found to be inadequate.

Expressões referenciais – uma proposta classificatória

In this work, we reflect about the suggested criteria in literature to identify different kinds of anaphorics and deictics, according to their referential function, meaning features and manifestation forms. Privileging remission parameter, we divide these referential elements into two major groups: in one of them, there are expressions introducing new referents in discourse universe without any referential continuity; in the other group, there are expressions with referential continuity, either because they are explicitly evocated or because they are inferible.

Dialogical factors in toddlers’ use of clitic pronouns

Young (1;9—2;4) children’s use of third person clitic subject pronouns in natural dialogues was examined in both longitudinal and cross-sectional data. Considering that young children mainly use pronouns in the context of referential continuity, this study aims at identifying some of the factors that affect this use. Two possible dialogical factors are examined: (1) the use of clitic pronouns can be interpreted as a reproduction of the adult’s discourse, either by taking up whole utterances containing a pronoun or by taking up only the clitic pronouns without reproducing the adult’s utterance. (2) The use of pronouns could be driven by pragmatic-discursive factors. In order to assess this hypothesis the use of clitic pronouns was observed in the context of dialogical continuity. Three kinds of links were considered: children repeat or reformulate the adult’s utterances, add a new predication on the same topic, or establish a contrast. The results suggest that the reproduction of the adult’s utterance does not significantly influence children’s use of pronouns, whereas pragmatic-discursive factors are found to affect their choice of referential expressions.

Saving the intuitions: polylithic reference

My main aim in this paper is to clarify the concepts of referential success and of referential continuity that are so crucial to the scientific realism debate. I start by considering the three dominant theories of reference and the intuitions that motivate each of them. Since several intuitions cited in support of one theory conflict with intuitions cited in support of another something has to give way. The traditional policy has been to reject all intuitions that clash with a chosen theory. A more radical policy, tied to some experimental philosophers, has called for the rejection of any evidential role for intuitions. I explore a largely ignored third alternative, i.e. saving intuitions (and their evidential role) even when they are at odds. To accommodate conflicting intuitions different sets of internally consistent (yet externally inconsistent) intuitions are taken to lend credence to different concepts of reference. In the current context, this means that the concepts of referential success and referential continuity are not monolithic. They are what I call ‘polylithic’. This paper is as much about meta-philosophical concerns with the role of intuitions as it is about reference and the scientific realism debate. Regarding the former I hope that a blueprint will emerge for similar projects in other philosophical domains. Regarding the latter, I hope that polylithicity helps disentangle claims about referential success and continuity in the scientific realism debate by making perspicuous which concepts are best equipped to evaluate the realist’s epistemic claims against the historical record of science.

The on-line interpretation of pronouns and repeated names in seven-year-old children

Seven-year-old children performed a cross-modal naming task, in order to investigate the on-line interpretation of subject pronouns and repeated names. Children had to listen to short texts containing two sentences and to read a visual probe which represented the last word of the second sentence. This second sentence began with a subject anaphor which was either a pronoun or a repeated name, and referred either to the subject referent (Subject-Subject condition), or to the object referent (Object-Subject condition) of the first sentence. In agreement with the repeated name penalty predicted from the Gordon and Hendrick’s model (1998) developed for adults, children showed faster naming times for pronouns than for repeated names in Subject-Subject condition, whereas they showed similar naming times to solve pronouns and repeated names in Object-Subject condition. These results suggest that children interpret on-line the pronoun as a specific marker of referential continuity.

What Nominal Phrases are all about<BR> The Atypical Case of Indefinite Pronouns with a Determiner

This paper presents novel data that challenge the traditional categorial understanding of the nominal phrase. The established use of an indefinite pronoun with a determiner in French (ce quelqu'un, du n'importe quoi, un je ne sais quoi) contravenes assumptions both about pronouns, which should not be embedded, and nominal phrases, which should be headed by a noun. Analysed here for the first time, the embedding of a pronoun under a determiner is shown to find its justification in the semantic import of the construction. The anaphoric role guaranteeing referential continuity is promoted by a strong determiner; weak determiners typically contribute to constructing a designative use of the pronoun when a more precise characterisation cannot or will not be provided. How this construction would be analysed in the Minimalist Programme is presented to suggest that the phrase satisfies semantic requirements, which resolves the paradoxes of its traditional definition

Substantial confusion

In this paper I defend, against Eric Scerri’s objections, the following theses: (i) that Lavoisier and Mendeleev shared a ‘core conception’ of chemical element, and (ii) that this core conception underwrites referential continuity in the names of particular elements.

Aspects psycholinguistiques du traitement des démonstratifs : résultats "croisés" en français et en anglais

In two sets of experiment (in French and English) we tested the assumption that demonstratives (pronouns and determiners), because of their deictic procedure, may serve to re-orient the discourse, drawing the addressee’s attention to a less-accessible, less-focused discourse referent. Results obtained both in French – with the demonstrative pronoun celui-ci/celle-ci (Fossard, 2001 ; Fossard α Rigalleau, 2005) and English – with the demonstrative noun-phrase that N (that man/ that woman) highlight the specificity of demonstratives : as “break” markers (De Mulder, 1997, Kleiber, 1994), they permit to bring something new, drawing the reader’s attention to a referent which – though already introduced in the discourse – is not the one expected to ensure the referential continuity (cf. Cornish, 1999 ; Kleiber, 1994).

Integrating Ad Information: A Text-Processing Perspective

This article utilizes psycholinguistic models to examine text processing in advertising. In particular, the article theorizes that forming an accurate mental representation of the text content of ads is essential for comprehension and can influence evaluations. Two conditions must be met in order to form a mental representation: referential continuity and coherence. A text possesses referential continuity if each of its parts refers, implicitly or explicitly, to an entity introduced in the previous part. A text is coherent if individuals can readily integrate its parts. Four empirical studies suggest that the repetition of certain verbal and pictorial cues can help provide referential continuity and that an ad's structure, or presentation format, can facilitate coherence but only when referential continuity is established.