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6 - Null Referring Expressions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2019

Kate Scott
Affiliation:
Kingston University, London
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Summary

Chapter 6 applies the relevance-based account of referring expressions to the phenomenon of null subjects in non-pro-drop languages. So-called diary-style nulls, it is argued, are ultimately driven by the interaction of effects and effort and therefore by the speaker’s aim of achieving optimal relevance. Three broad categories of null subject use in English are identified: an informal null subject where the omission leads to extra cognitive effects, a pressurized null subject where the speaker’s abilities are the crucial factor, and finally, an ostensively vague null subject, which is driven by the speaker’s preferences. These three categories are not presented as an exhaustive taxonomy of English null subjects, or as theoretically distinct. Rather they emerge as a result of a speaker aiming at optimal relevance in different discourse contexts, and they represent occasions where different elements in the overall equation of optimal relevance drive lexical omissions.

Type
Chapter
Information
Referring Expressions, Pragmatics, and Style
Reference and Beyond
, pp. 114 - 129
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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  • Null Referring Expressions
  • Kate Scott, Kingston University, London
  • Book: Referring Expressions, Pragmatics, and Style
  • Online publication: 18 October 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316822845.006
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  • Null Referring Expressions
  • Kate Scott, Kingston University, London
  • Book: Referring Expressions, Pragmatics, and Style
  • Online publication: 18 October 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316822845.006
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Null Referring Expressions
  • Kate Scott, Kingston University, London
  • Book: Referring Expressions, Pragmatics, and Style
  • Online publication: 18 October 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316822845.006
Available formats
×