The effect of discourse factors on backward anaphora

Abstract

This article investigates the conditions under which in English a pronoun and a following noun may be understood as having intended coreference when the pronoun lacks an immediate antecedent. The analysis presented supports the claim that, with the exception of certain syntactic restrictions, the possibility of such coreference is determined by discourse factors. The sensitivity of pronominal anaphora to various discourse-dependent stress patterns and syntactic structures is presented as evidence supporting the analysis offered. Finally, it is argued that apparent counterexamples represent a special use of pronouns and therefore do not refute the proposed framework.