What is anaphora?

Definition
	Anaphora is coreference of one expression with its antecedent. The antecedent provides the information necessary for the expression’s interpretation.
	This is often understood as an expression “referring” back to the antecedent.

Discussion
	The term anaphora is also sometimes used to include both anaphora, as defined here, and cataphora. When it is used that way, it becomes synonymous with endophora.

Example (English)
	In the following sequence, the relationship of the pronoun he to the noun phrase a well-dressed man is an example of anaphora: A well-dressed man was speaking; he had a foreign accent.

Kind
	Here is a kind of anaphora:
	What is zero anaphora?

Generic
	Anaphora is a kind of
	What is endophora?

Sources
	Crystal 1980 25–26
	Lyons 1977b 659
	Pei and Gaynor 1954 13
	Hartmann and Stork 1972 13
	Mish 1991 83

Context for this page:

Concept module: anaphora
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): A
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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