By Hasanul Misbah, [Link].
Reference & Inference
A Semantics-Pragmatics Course
Agenda
01. Reference
02. Inference
03. Referential & Attributive Uses
04. Names & Referents
05. The Role of Co-Text
06. Anaphoric Reference
Understand how the speaker &
listener understand each other.
Example 1 Example 2
A: I want some ‘Blackpinks’ Y: Do you remember the male
if you don’t mind. American singer with his
B: I’d love to. (Music playing) catchy pop music?
Z: It will always be Bruno Mars.
A refers to something and B Y refers to something and Z
infers it. infers it.
Reference
Reference is an act in which a
speaker or writer uses linguistic
forms (verbal/non-verbal) to enable a
listener or a reader to identify
something.
(George Yule)
“Words don’t refer, people do.”
1. Proper Nouns 2. Definite Noun Phrases
“Rose”
“The singer”
“The state”
“Lampung”
Referring
Expressions
3. Indefinite Noun
Phrases
4. Pronouns
“A beautiful singer”
“She”
“A lovely place” “It”
1. Proper Nouns 2. Definite Noun Phrases
The President of
Prabowo Indonesia
Indonesia The country
Now your
turn!
3. Indefinite Noun
Phrases 4. Pronouns
A president
He
A country It
Inference
For succesful reference to happen, we
need to notice the role of inference.
We have five senses to predict our
inference.
Inference lets the listener figure out
correctly which particular entity/thing
the speaker is referring to. Listeners
may use vague expressions like “let’s
say”, “What’s it called?”, “It is
about..” when feeling unsure.
Referential &
Attributive Use
Referential Use Attributive Use
1. There’s a girl sitting next to Deri. Vina wants to marry a man with good
financials.
1) uses indefinite noun phrases to identify a
physically present entity, a girl. The sentence uses a word that the speaker
thinks fits the descriptive properties.
We’d love to contract a three-meter-tall
volleyball player.
The sentence above uses a word, as far as we
know, that doesn’t exist.
A: Where is the Iphone A: Can I read your Yule?
sitting? B: It is in my bag. Here it is.
B: It is in the corner.
Names &
Referents
AA:person
Did youcansee
bemy Honda?
identified
B: I saw itvia
with
thing
Dina this
Amorning.
thing can be identified
via a person (a name)
The role of co-text
Indonesia will join the World Cup.
Indonesia joins the UN agenda.
‘Indonesia’ in 1 and 2 are the ‘referring
expressions’ and the reds are the co-texts that
lead to different type of interpretation in each.
Anaphoric Reference
03 There was a man and a woman planting a tree. The man was
digging and putting the tree while the woman poured water on it.
She gave him some drinks and he thanked her.
Antecedent Anaphora
The initial expressions, the red The second or subsequent expressions
words, are the antecedent. , the green words, are the anaphora.
Anaphoric Reference
Cataphora Zero anaphora or ellipsis
I turned the corner and almost Human consists of 70% water. We
stepped on it. There was a large snake need to drink about two liters
in the middle of the path. everyday.
No linguistic expression ‘it’ is present.
Discuss!
01 Create and explain each text with: a.
Antecedent & Anaphora; b. Cataphora; c. Zero
Anaphora
02 Make a sentence about “a dream job” or “eco-
dating activities” with attributive uses.
A: What’s wrong with people nowadays, irresponsible
03 with their waste?
B: People just misbehave.
Explain the reference and inference in the dialog
above. What/who does A refer to and why does B
reply that way?
Thank
you