Discourse Connections and Referential Relations

Discourse Connections (1): Referential Relations

Key Concepts

• Referential Relations: Connections between referring expressions and the objects or entities they refer to within discourse.
• Accessibility Principles: Guidelines that determine how easily a referent can be retrieved from memory based on contextual and linguistic factors.

Types of Referential Expressions

1. Referential Expressions: Directly refer to entities in discourse.

• Examples: "Mary lived in a small village nearby" (uses names).

1. Substitution: Using a different expression to refer to the same entity.

• Example: Replacing "Sally Ride" with "the first American woman in space".

1. Ellipsis: Omitting part of the referential expression when it's clear.

• Example: "He decided they would stay home watching Netflix, but she didn’t think so."

1. Lexical Cohesion: Reinforcement of meaning through word choice.

• Reiteration: Mentioning the same entity with different names (synonyms).
• Collocation: Words that frequently appear together enhancing understanding.

1. Reference: Establishing connections through conjunctions or other linking expressions.

Examples of Referential Usage

• Individual Use: "Sally Ride flew on the space shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983."
• Accessibility: More linguistic material is needed for less accessible referents. For instance, referring back to a previously mentioned character or event requires less detail when the referent is familiar.
• Cutting unnecessary words enhances fluidity and coherence in discourse, but the choice of referential expression varies with the audience (e.g., children vs. adults).

Principles of Accessibility

• Functional Principle: The less accessible a referent, the more context or detail is needed to clarify.
• Structural Principle: A grammatical subject position in a sentence is more accessible.
• Semantic Principle: General knowledge about the subject can kickstart memory retrieval for referents.

Applications in Narrative and Journalism

• Manipulation of Narrative Lens: Writers can shape readers' perceptions of characters through referential choices—eyewitnesses in narratives often have pronouns used predominantly to signify closeness.
• Effectiveness in Crime Reporting: Usage of pronouns makes characters readily accessible, creating a more immersive experience for the reader.

Practice Assignments

1. Classify Cohesive Ties: Reflect on how different cohesive ties function in a provided text excerpt.
2. Analyze Types of Cohesive Ties: Identify and classify types used in narrative contexts, such as substitution, ellipsis, and reference in literature.
3. Evaluate Accessibility: Discuss factors that affect how easily characters can be recognized within texts (e.g., repetition, context).