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Article published In:
Studies in Language
Vol. 44:1 (2020) ► pp.191–230

Nominal classification

Does it play a role in referent disambiguation?

| University of Surrey

It is often claimed that reference tracking is a key function of nominal classification systems, not least because of the role such systems can play in referent disambiguation. This paper reports on the results of a comparative study of reference in texts from four languages, focusing specifically on the disambiguating function of nominal classification. The results strongly suggest that disambiguation is not a primary function of nominal classification systems. While gender and/or classifiers sometimes contribute to the avoidance of referential conflict, the reality is that the conditions have to be just right – all competing references must be of opposing genders, and those genders must be formally distinct – and this happens with surprisingly low frequency. We are better off viewing disambiguation as a convenient by-product of nominal classification systems that a language can exploit when conditions allow.

Keywords: nominal classification, gender, classifiers, referent, disambiguation, reference tracking, referential conflict
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Terminology and scope
    • 2.1Terminology
    • 2.2Scope of the study
  • 3.Methods of investigating reference tracking
    • 3.1Existing methods of investigating reference tracking
    • 3.2Limitations of existing methods
    • 3.3Methodology
      • 3.3.1Activation score
      • 3.3.2Contribution of gender score
      • 3.3.3Contribution of classifier score
  • 4.Data
    • 4.1Skolt Saami
    • 4.2Spanish
    • 4.3Kilivila
    • 4.4Mian
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Correlations between referential choice and activation scores
    • 5.2Contribution of gender in reducing or eliminating referential conflict
    • 5.3Contribution of classifiers in reducing or eliminating referential conflict
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Abbreviations
  • Abbreviations
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 6 May 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.19026.fei
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