Discourse Connections and Referential Relations

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary related to discourse connections and referential relations, aimed at aiding understanding and retention of the concepts.

Discourse Connections

The relationships established between different elements of discourse, especially within texts, guiding how we understand referents and their meanings.

Referential Relations

The connections made between different expressions that refer to the same entity or idea within a discourse.

Accessibility

The ease with which a referent associated with a referential expression can be retrieved from memory.

Functional Principle

A rule that states the less accessible a referent is, the more linguistic material is needed to establish coherence.

Types of Referential Relations

Different categories that describe how referential expressions relate to each other, such as substitution, ellipsis, and reference.

Lexical Cohesion

A type of grammatical cohesion that involves the use of related words, which can include reiteration or collocation.

Ellipsis

A grammatical phenomenon where some words are omitted because they are understood within a context.

Substitution

A type of cohesive tie where one expression is replaced by another to avoid repetition.

Semantic Principle

A principle that suggests the interpretation of referential relations is guided by general knowledge of processes, scripts, or contextual meanings.

Structural Principle

A principle emphasizing that the grammatical structure and positioning of elements in a sentence affect how referents are interpreted.