32:
257:. The intimate link between proper names and type (1) REs are shown by the definite article that appears in many of them. In many languages this happens far more consistently than in English. Proper names are often taken to refer, in principle, to the same referent independently of the context in which the name is used and in all possible worlds, i.e. they are in
279:
the speaker may be accurate in calling it vodka, but the hearer may believe wrongly that it is water, and therefore not deliver the plate. Accurate reference is then not a guarantee of successful reference, and successful reference does not wholly depend on accurate reference. There is, however, a strong positive correlation between them.
278:
The speaker may use a mistaken description and still manage to refer successfully. If the speaker asks the hearer to "Take this plate to the woman with the glass of vodka", the hearer may take it to the intended person even if, unbeknownst to the speaker, the vodka is really water. On the other hand,
265:
Referring can take place in a number of ways. Typically, in the case of (1), the RE is likely to succeed in picking out the referent because the words in the expression and the way they are combined give a true, accurate, description of the referent, in such a way that the hearer of the expression
424:
There are many other technical issues surrounding the nature of reference. Some of these are discussed from the perspective of linguistics in Lyons (1977, vol. I: chapter 7); Cann (1993: chapters 9 and 10); Saeed (1997: chapters 2, 7, 11). There is a vast literature on the topic in philosophy.
314:
In addition to the singular and plural reference (in many languages grammatically obvious), linguists typically distinguish individual or specific reference, exemplified by each case presented so far, from generic reference, where a singular expression picks out a type of object rather than an
375:
is to be interpreted as 'any' or 'some actual but unspecified'). Collective reference is the picking out of the members of a set as a set, whilst distributive reference is the picking out of the members of a set individually. The difference may not be marked linguistically, but arrived at by
412:
will generally refer, on a particular occasion of usage, to the one individual in my possession. Generally speaking, lexical items have denotation, whilst phrases have the job of doing reference in real situations. This distinction is not systematically made by some linguists.
274:
is a signal that an individual thing or person is intended, they can build up the meaning of the expression from the words and grammar and use it to identify an intended object (often within sight, or at any rate easily recoverable, but not necessarily).
403:
Denotation is the relation existing between a lexical item and a set of potential referents in some world. Reference is the relation between some expression and actual referents (subject to the technical restriction given above). The word
440:(NLG) that receives much scholarly attention. While NLG is concerned with the conversion of non-linguistic information into natural language, REG focuses only on the creation of
282:
Proper names, on the other hand, generally achieve reference irrespective of the meaning of the words which constitute them (if any are recognizable). If a local pub is called
155:. Reference relations can be of different kinds; referents can be in a "real" or imaginary world, or in discourse itself, and they may be singular, plural, or collective.
589:
266:
can recognize the speaker's intention. In the first example, if the hearer knows what an apple and a table are, and understands the relation expressed by
128:, the study of language use, though it is also a matter of great interest to philosophers, especially those wishing to understand the nature of
565:
539:
75:
53:
433:
421:
REs carry a presupposition of the existence of the referent(s), in some universe of discourse, including fictional universes.
286:, this is simply a label which functions conversationally with no appeal to the meaning of the words. If someone says,
437:
593:
488:
466:
46:
40:
57:
195:, REs are typically marked for definiteness. In the examples given, this is done by the definite article
104:, or surrogate for a noun phrase, whose function in discourse is to identify some individual object. The
121:
105:
298:
just serves to identify a particular building. This point is more obvious still with those names like
499:
112:
differs a great deal from one school of linguistics to another. The most widespread term is probably
332:
Definite reference to single individuals is usually taken to be the prototypical type of reference.
613:
618:
583:
392:
is to the team members as individuals). English allows such expressions to be ambiguous: compare
571:
561:
535:
527:
477:
363:), whilst indefinite referring expressions allow latitude in identifying the referent (
408:
denotes the entire class of objects that are classified with this term, whilst the RE
607:
521:
226:
The referent of such a pronoun may vary according to context - e.g. the referent of
192:
20:
294:, and the hearer will not necessarily call such a device to mind when I say this.
258:
238:
230:
depends on who the speaker is - and this property is technically an instance of
152:
101:
89:
351:. Definite referring expressions refer to an identifiable individual or class (
531:
144:
133:
125:
575:
560:. Stent, Amanda, 1974-, Bangalore, Srinivas, 1969-. Cambridge. 12 June 2014.
137:
129:
322:. Plural expressions can, of course, be interpreted in the same way, as in
555:
16:
Noun phrase, or surrogate, functioning to identify some individual object
448:
by describing their attributes that are most distinct from those of the
148:
231:
124:. In linguistics, the study of reference relations belongs to
25:
335:
Other types of reference recognized by linguists include
19:
For referring expressions in
Chomskyan linguistics, see
292:
I'm going to the device for halting and securing a ship
444:(noun phrases) that identify specific entities called
394:
Manchester United are rich beyond my wildest dreams.
143:
Various devices can be used for reference including
557:Natural language generation in interactive systems
386:Manchester United wear red shirts and black shorts
206:a noun-phrase surrogate, i.e. a pronoun, such as
191:. In those languages which, like English, encode
163:The kinds of expressions which can refer are:
8:
306:which have no lexical meaning of their own.
384:is to members of the team as a unit), with
588:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
417:Some technical linguistic characteristics
189:Those five boys were off school last week
167:a noun phrase of any structure, such as:
76:Learn how and when to remove this message
39:This article includes a list of general
512:
581:
199:or the demonstrative adjective, here
7:
526:. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
376:interpretation in context. Compare
361:the student with the highest marks
45:it lacks sufficient corresponding
14:
378:Manchester United won again today
261:'s terminology rigid designators.
120:, as for example in the work of
30:
434:Referring expression generation
429:Referring expression generation
224:They were off school last week.
181:Bring me the apple on the table
365:a corrupt Member of Parliament
116:, and a thing identified is a
1:
520:Kempen, Gerard, ed. (1987).
310:Kinds of reference relations
523:Natural Language Generation
438:natural language generation
635:
489:Cambridge University Press
467:Cambridge University Press
173:The taxi's waiting outside
18:
532:10.1007/978-94-009-3645-4
436:(REG) is the subtask of
399:Reference and denotation
388:(where the reference of
380:(where the reference of
288:I'm going to the Anchor
60:more precise citations.
349:distributive reference
315:individual one, as in
177:the apple on the table
592:) CS1 maint: others (
472:Kripke, Saul (1980).
461:Cann, Ronnie (1993).
442:referring expressions
369:a cat with black ears
357:The Coldstream Guards
327:are dangerous animals
320:is a dangerous animal
106:technical terminology
494:Saeed, John (1997).
483:Lyons, John (1977).
474:Naming and necessity
270:, and is aware that
212:It's waiting outside
94:referring expression
290:, they do not mean
476:, second edition.
341:definite reference
567:978-1-107-01002-4
541:978-94-010-8131-3
390:Manchester United
382:Manchester United
86:
85:
78:
626:
598:
597:
587:
579:
552:
546:
545:
517:
463:Formal semantics
251:The Eiffel Tower
140:more generally.
81:
74:
70:
67:
61:
56:this article by
47:inline citations
34:
33:
26:
634:
633:
629:
628:
627:
625:
624:
623:
604:
603:
602:
601:
580:
568:
554:
553:
549:
542:
519:
518:
514:
509:
478:Basil Blackwell
458:
431:
419:
401:
312:
185:those five boys
161:
82:
71:
65:
62:
52:Please help to
51:
35:
31:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
632:
630:
622:
621:
616:
606:
605:
600:
599:
566:
547:
540:
511:
510:
508:
505:
504:
503:
492:
481:
470:
457:
454:
430:
427:
418:
415:
400:
397:
353:The Dalai Lama
339:as opposed to
311:
308:
263:
262:
235:
204:
160:
157:
84:
83:
38:
36:
29:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
631:
620:
617:
615:
612:
611:
609:
595:
591:
585:
577:
573:
569:
563:
559:
558:
551:
548:
543:
537:
533:
529:
525:
524:
516:
513:
506:
501:
497:
493:
490:
486:
482:
479:
475:
471:
468:
464:
460:
459:
455:
453:
451:
447:
443:
439:
435:
428:
426:
422:
416:
414:
411:
407:
398:
396:
395:
391:
387:
383:
379:
374:
370:
366:
362:
358:
354:
350:
346:
342:
338:
333:
330:
328:
326:
321:
319:
309:
307:
305:
301:
297:
293:
289:
285:
280:
276:
273:
269:
260:
256:
252:
248:
244:
240:
236:
233:
229:
225:
221:
217:
213:
209:
205:
202:
198:
194:
190:
186:
182:
178:
174:
170:
166:
165:
164:
158:
156:
154:
150:
146:
141:
139:
135:
131:
127:
123:
119:
115:
111:
107:
103:
99:
95:
91:
80:
77:
69:
59:
55:
49:
48:
42:
37:
28:
27:
22:
556:
550:
522:
515:
495:
484:
473:
462:
456:Bibliography
449:
445:
441:
432:
423:
420:
409:
405:
402:
393:
389:
385:
381:
377:
372:
368:
364:
360:
356:
352:
348:
344:
340:
336:
334:
331:
324:
323:
317:
316:
313:
303:
299:
295:
291:
287:
283:
281:
277:
271:
267:
264:
254:
250:
246:
242:
227:
223:
219:
215:
211:
207:
200:
196:
193:definiteness
188:
184:
180:
176:
172:
168:
162:
153:proper names
142:
117:
113:
109:
97:
93:
87:
72:
63:
44:
21:R-expression
450:distractors
259:Saul Kripke
255:The Beatles
239:proper name
216:Bring me it
145:determiners
102:noun phrase
90:linguistics
58:introducing
614:Pragmatics
608:Categories
507:References
345:collective
337:indefinite
296:The Anchor
284:The Anchor
134:perception
126:pragmatics
122:John Lyons
41:references
619:Semantics
584:cite book
576:862400839
500:Blackwell
496:Semantics
485:Semantics
410:my rabbit
138:cognition
130:knowledge
100:) is any
66:June 2015
318:The bear
169:the taxi
149:pronouns
118:referent
110:identify
446:targets
371:—where
241:, like
54:improve
574:
564:
538:
406:rabbit
343:, and
304:London
247:London
232:deixis
218:; and
183:; and
43:, but
325:Bears
300:Sarah
253:, or
243:Sarah
201:those
159:Kinds
114:refer
594:link
590:link
572:OCLC
562:ISBN
536:ISBN
347:and
302:and
220:they
214:and
136:and
108:for
92:, a
528:doi
272:the
222:in
210:in
197:the
187:in
179:in
171:in
88:In
610::
586:}}
582:{{
570:.
534:.
498:.
487:.
465:.
452:.
367:;
359:;
355:;
329:.
268:on
249:,
245:,
237:a
228:me
208:it
175:;
151:,
147:,
132:,
98:RE
596:)
578:.
544:.
530::
502:.
491:.
480:.
469:.
373:a
234:.
203:.
96:(
79:)
73:(
68:)
64:(
50:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.