Reference

Dewi Novita Yusri

Reference

• Reference deals with the relationship between language and the world.

• Reference is a relationship between parts of language and things outside the language (in the world).

Types of Reference

Referring and non-referring expressions

Constant VS Variable reference

Referents and extensions

Referring and non-referring expressions

• A referring expression is any expression used in an utterance to refer to something or someone (or, a clearly delimited collection of things or people), i.e. used with particular referent in mind.

• Some expressions can be used to refer or not, depending on the kind of sentence they occur in.

• The condition which makes an expression can be mentioned as a referring expression when the speaker and the hearer have the same perception of what is being talked about.

• Referring expressions are any linguistic expression which is used to identify an entity. For example: Mary, The book, etc.

• Non-referring expression is any linguistic elements which can never be used to refer. E.g. So, very, maybe, if, not,etc

A man was in here looking for you last night, Mr. Smith

The speaker has a particular person in mind when he says “a man”. A man in his utterance is a referring expression

When a speaker says,

The first sign of monsoon is a cloud on the horizon, no bigger than a man’s hand.

The speaker has a particular person in mind when he says “a man”. A man in his utterance is a not referring expression

But, when a speaker says

Put a piece of ginger as big as a man’s finger.

a man in his utterance is not a referring expression, because it doesn’t refer to particular man and there is no particular referent in his mind

Constant versus Variable reference

Any expressions which have the same referent across range of utterances are constant reference. E.g.. The Eiffel Tower, Pacific Ocean

Any expressions which have their reference totally dependent on context are variable reference .E.g.:• I wrote to you.• She put it to my office.

Referent and extensions

• The term referent is used for the thing picked out by uttering the expression in a particular context.Eg. The referent of Indonesian President in 1997 is Suharto, the referent of a toad in

• The term extension is used for the set of things which could be the referent of the expression

Expression • Indonesian

President now• Indonesian

president in 1997

• I’ve just stepped on a toad

Referent• SBY• Suharto

Example

The extension of the word toad is the set of all toads.

A toad here would be the unfortunete animal on the bottom of my shoe

Names

• Name after all are label for people, place, etc. and often seem to have little meaning.

• It doesn’t seem reasonable to ask what the meaning of Karl Marx (helping us to talk about an individual).

• Name are definite in that they carry the speaker’s assumption that her audience can identify the referent.

When a speaker says,

He look just like Eddie Murphy.

The speaker is assuming you can identify the American Comedian

Nouns and noun phrases

Indefinite noun phrases

The same expression® Can be a referring expression or not = may or may not have a ‘referring interpretation’

® Depending on the context.

This is true of indefinite noun phrase.

Indefinite noun phrases

The linguistic context ® Often gives a vital clue® As to whether the indefinite noun

phrases® Was a referring expression or not The linguistic context.® Does not always give a clear indication.

Indefinite noun phrases

How can one resolve the ambiguities in these example ?

® By the use of the word certain immediately following the indefinite article a

® Plural, use the determiner ‘Some’

® Indefinite noun phrases can be referring expression.

® Whether an expression is referring expression is heavily dependent on linguistic context and on circumstances of utterance.

Definite noun phrases

Come in various kinds :

® Proper names (e.g. John)® Personal pronouns (e.g. he,it,)® Longer descriptive expression (e.g the man who

unified the kingdom of saudi arabia)

® Can all used as referring expression® Most frequently are used as referring

expressions.

® But there are example in which they are not ( or not clear) referring expressions.

® The notion ‘referring expression’ is not always easy to apply

® Part of the difficult encountered stems from the fact that it is not clear what we mean when say that a speaker must have a particular individual in mind in order to refer

® But note that in the case of definite noun phrases also, the question of whether they are used as referring is very much dependent on the context and cicumstances of use

» Mary asked an oldest student in the class to explain everything. (Indefinite noun phrases)

» Mary asked the oldest student in the class to explain everything.(Definite noun phrases)

» Philip rejected an idea that languages are strictly finite.(Indefinite noun phrases)

» Philip rejected the idea that languages are strictly finite. (Definite noun phrases)

EXAMPLE

Indefinite noun phrases» A girl who wore a black sweater is

friendly.» Some apples are bought by my grandmother.» Five boys are playing guitar.

Definite noun phrases» Rania is friendly.» She is studying Semantic.» The person who stole my bag is my friend.

EXAMPLE