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Part of
(Non)referentiality in Conversation
Edited by Michael C. Ewing and Ritva Laury
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 344] 2024
► pp. 123–140

Chapter 7
The indeterminacy and fluidity of reference in everyday conversation

| University of Alberta
| University of California Santa Barbara

We focus on (a) the indeterminacy of reference, i.e., noun phrases which are described as having a ‘given’, ‘old’ or ‘definite’ referent, where that referent is unspecified; (b) the ways in which speakers shift reference between categorial and specific designations. The data reveal that talk displaying indeterminate and shifting reference is consistently accepted without being challenged. These facts show that reference can only be understood by considering how speakers refer locally, in the unfolding of social action, and that referential common ground is generally established despite the referential indeterminacy and fluidity. We thus promote the view that reference is a deeply social phenomenon, an emergent set of practices that is used and negotiated by people in real time.

Keywords: indeterminacy, fluidity, reference, conversation
Article outline
  • 1.Background
  • 2.Findings
    • 2.1Indeterminacy
    • 2.2Fluidity
    • 2.3Indeterminacy and fluidity
  • 3.Summary and discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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