What is an inferable entity?

Definition
	An inferable entity is a referent that may be inferred by the addressee from other information that has already been given.

Example (English)

I got on a bus yesterday and the driver was drunk.

In the above sentence, the mention of bus makes a driver inferable; a bus is assumed to have a driver. Thus the addressee may assume, without further specification from the speaker, that it is the driver of the bus who is spoken of.

Source:

Prince 1981 233

Generic
	An inferable entity is a kind of
	What is given information?

Source
	Prince 1981 233, 236

Context for this page:

Concept module: inferable entity
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): I
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