What is reference?

Definition
	Here are two senses for reference:
	Reference is the symbolic relationship that a linguistic expression has with the concrete object or abstraction it represents. Reference is the relationship of one linguistic expression to another, in which one provides the information necessary to interpret the other.

Examples
	Here is an example of reference:
	A pronoun refers to the noun antecedent that is used to interpret it.

Kinds
	Here are some kinds of reference:
	What is coreference? What is endophora? What is exophora?

Generic
	A reference is a kind of
	What is meaning and pragmatic function?

Sources
	Hartmann and Stork 1972 193
	Crystal 1985 259–260
	Pei and Gaynor 1954 184

Context for this page:

Concept module: 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: 5 January 2004

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