Anaphora And Conceptual Structure

Karen van Hoek presents a cogent analysis of the classic problem of constraintson pronominal anaphora within the framework of Cognitive Grammar. Van Hoekproceed... » 

Karen van Hoek presents a cogent analysis of the classic problem of constraintson pronominal anaphora within the framework of Cognitive Grammar. Van Hoekproceeds from the position that grammatical structure can be characterized interms of semantic and phonological representations without autonomoussyntactic structures or principles such as tree structures or ccommand. Sheargues that constraints on anaphora can be explained in terms of semanticinteractions between nominals and the contexts in which they are embedded.Integrating the results of previous work Van Hoek develops a model in whichsome nominals function as conceptual reference points that dominate overstretches defined by the semantic relations among elements. When a full noun isin the domain of a reference point coreference is ruled out since the speakerwould be sending contradictory messages about the salience of the nounsreferent.With profound implications for the nature of syntax this book will interesttheoretical linguists of all persuasions. «