What is a range of reference?

Definition
	A range of reference is a collection of all possible entities in the referential realm denoted by a lexical unit.

Examples

Here are examples of the word wrist in three languages, illustrating different ranges of reference in each language:

Language	Lexical unit	Range of reference	English translation equivalent
Hebrew	yad	The part of the body from the fingertips to the wrist, sometimes including part of the forearm (in Genesis 24:47)	wrist, hand, forearm
Tuwali Ifugao	takle	The part of the body from the fingertips to the joint at the shoulder	wrist, hand, arm
English	wrist	The joint or part of the arm between the hand and the forearm

Nonexamples

Here are some other terms that may be confused with the term range of reference:

Referent identification—the association of words, expressions or morphemes in a text with a particular participant or object

Also known as:
participant identification, participant tracking
Range of meaning—the different senses (lexical units) of a lexeme

Concept module: range of reference
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): R
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: 29 January 2004