INTERPRETING ANAPHORIC EXPRESSIONS - A COGNITIVE VERSUS A PRAGMATIC APPROACH

Authors
Citation
M. Ariel, INTERPRETING ANAPHORIC EXPRESSIONS - A COGNITIVE VERSUS A PRAGMATIC APPROACH, Journal of linguistics, 30(1), 1994, pp. 3-42
Citations number
82
Categorie Soggetti
Language & Linguistics","Language & Linguistics
Journal title
ISSN journal
00222267
Volume
30
Issue
1
Year of publication
1994
Pages
3 - 42
Database
ISI
SICI code
0022-2267(1994)30:1<3:IAE-AC>2.0.ZU;2-5
Abstract
Levinson (1985, 1987a & b, 1991) and Ariel (1985a & b, 1987, 1988a & b , 1990a, 1991) have each proposed to anchor discourse and sentential a naphora within a more general theory of communication. Levinson chose a general, extra-linguistic pragmatic theory. He uses Grice's Quantity maxim to account for the distribution of zeros, reflexives, pronouns and lexical NPs, claiming that coreferent readings are preferred, unle ss a disjoint reading is implicated (by the revised Gricean maxims he offers). I have proposed a specifically linguistic, cognitive theory, whereby speakers guide addresses' retrievals of mental representations corresponding to all definite NPs (coreferent as well as disjoint) by signalling to them the degree of Accessibility associated with the in tended mental entity in their memory. An examination of actual data re veals that Levinson's predictions regarding definite NP interpretation s are often not borne out. In addition, his proposals cannot account f or many anaphoric patterns actually found in natural discourse. Access ibility theory, it is argued, can account for both types of problemati c data.