Introduction

In this chapter, I illustrate the kind of treatment I propose for switch-reference systems by presenting a formal account of switch-reference in Amele. At the end of the chapter, some suggestions are made about how such an account could be used to handle switch-reference in Eastern Porno, Lenakel and other languages.

Two factors have dictated the choice of Amele as an illustrative language. First, it is a clause-chaining language, and switch-reference languages of this kind have received little formal attention (cf. Finer 1985 a,b; Tsujimura 1987). Second, it exhibits the full range of nonreferential functional extensions of switch-reference marking described in chapter 2, including unexpected uses of SS marking with impersonal controlling clauses, and unexpected uses of DS marking triggered by changes other than in reference of the subject NPs.

Unification Categorial Grammar (UCG) will be used to formalise the account. Since UCG incorporates a semantics based on Discourse Representation Theory (DR Theory), the proposed account illustrates the way DR Theory can be used to handle switch-reference phenomena, both in Amele and more generally. It was shown in chapter 4 that the semantic representations of UCG can readily be translated into more familiar DR Theory representations.

The basis for the account is the idea developed in chapter 3 that switch-reference should be regarded as a kind of interclausal agreement. We saw in chapter 4 that in event versions of DR Theory, and in particular in UCG, it is assumed that the universe of discourse contains discourse markers or indices representing the eventualities introduced by clauses.