reference: act in which a speaker/writer uses linguistic forms to enable a listener/reader to
identify something (‘words don't refer, people do’)
referring expressions
- proper nouns ('Shakespeare', 'Hawaii')
- definite noun phrases ('the author', 'the island')
- indefinite noun phrases ('a man', 'a woman', 'a beautiful place')
- pronouns ('he', 'she', 'them')
The choice of expression depends largely on what the speaker assumes the listener already
knows (in shared visual contexts -> deictic expressions)
identify something (‘words don't refer, people do’)
referring expressions
- proper nouns ('Shakespeare', 'Hawaii')
- definite noun phrases ('the author', 'the island')
- indefinite noun phrases ('a man', 'a woman', 'a beautiful place')
- pronouns ('he', 'she', 'them')
The choice of expression depends largely on what the speaker assumes the listener already
knows (in shared visual contexts -> deictic expressions)