PS366 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Complementary Distribution, Referring Expression, Noam Chomsky
Document Summary
Anaphoric reference is a form of inference. Syntax: subject> object> prepositional object> prepositional object. There was a banker who stole a bunch of money. Position in the sentence trumps syntax: advantage of first mention. Easier to refer to a more typical member of a category e. g, bird serves as a better memory retrieval cue for pigeon than ostrich. Reference for objects close to characters are more accessible, even if they are not explicitly mentioned. Multiple referents with same gender as anaphor. The girl in passage b lead to increase erp negativity (nref effect) relative to girl in passage a. Implicit causality: associated with verb meaning can influence the degree of focus on different individuals in the event. Anaphors consistet with focused entity are easier to interpret. We fill in stuff with previous (background) knowledge that we already have. 3 categories of anaphors: regular pronouns (he, she), reflexive pronouns (himself, herself) and. Reflexives and regular pronouns are in complementary distribution.
