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Description:
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Anaphora is one of the most fascinating linguistic phenomena as it
constitutes a unique and universal property of human language. Every single
natural language provides linguistic means which facilitate speakers to
refer to entities in the world. The understanding of the complexity of
anaphora and of the problems surrounding it will ameliorate our
understanding of the nature of human languages. This explains why anaphora
constitutes a central research topic in contemporary linguistic science.
This study examines the phenomenon of NP-anaphora with the main focus on
modern Greek. By maintaining the empirical and theoretical benefits of the
classical generative approach to binding, in this study we propose a
partial pragmatic reduction of the interpretation of NP-anaphora in modern
Greek in terms of the neo-Gricean pragmatic principles of communication.
The proposed analysis is articulated on the following basis: it is argued
that the choice of anaphoric expressions and their interpretation by Greek
speakers and addressees respectively is heavily dependent on preference,
which is regulated by principles of language use and communication.
Therefore, by employing a model, which is based on the systematic
interaction of the neo-Gricean pragmatic principles of communication, we
provide a neat and more elegant approach to NP-anaphora resolution for
modern Greek. In a nutshell, this study offers a quite new perspective into
the study of NP-anaphora in modern Greek but it is also a little step
towards a better understanding of the phenomenon of anaphora across languages.
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