Reference and Inference

1. REFERENCE
AND
INFERENCE
Fabian Rodriguez
7B

2. Reference Inference
Speaker / writer Listener / reader
Uses linguistics
forms
House

3. Referring
Expressions
Proper
nouns
Definite
noun
phrases
Indefinite
noun
phrases
Pronouns
Fabian
Camila
The writer
The singer
A car
A duck
We
Them

4. The referring expressions are
related to what the speaker
assumes the listener knows.
it is important to recognize that
not all referring expressions have
identifiable physical referent
spe ake rs se le c t linguistic
expressions with the intention of
identifying certain entities and
with the assumption that listeners
will collaborate
Where’s Mr. Know it all?
Do you like my Nikes?

5. Referential and attribute uses
a physically present entity:
'There's a man waiting for you
an unknown entity assumed to exist:
He wants to marry a woman with lots of money
an entity that does not exist:
We'd like to sign a nine-foot-tall basketball player
Reference needs to use correct naming

6. This is sometimes called an attributive use,
meaning 'whoever/whatever fits the description'
attributive use is also possible with definite noun phrase
There was no sign of the killer

7. Names and referents
Agreement between all members of a cultural-language community
Shakespeare does not refer only to a specific person:
A.- Can I borrow your Shakespeare?
B.- Yeah it's over there on the table
Conventional set of entities (e.g. things the writer produced)
A.- Shakespeare takes up the whole bottom shelf
B.- We're going to see Shakespeare in Londo -I hated Shakespeare at school
The cheese sandwich can refer to a person
A.- Where's the cheese sandwich sitting?
B.- He's over there by the window

8. THANK YOU
HAVE A GREAT DAY
Created by:
Fabian Rodriguez