Accessibility

Definition

Accessibility in linguistics refers to how easily certain entities in discourse can be referred to or retrieved by speakers and listeners. This concept plays a crucial role in understanding how participants in a conversation maintain coherence, manage focus, and track the flow of information through the use of expressions that refer back to previously mentioned elements.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Accessibility is crucial for efficient communication, allowing speakers to use shorter expressions while relying on shared knowledge from prior discourse.
2. In Centering Theory, entities that are more accessible are often referred to as 'centers,' which are the primary focus of attention during discourse.
3. The degree of accessibility can vary based on factors like recency of mention, salience in the conversation, and the speaker's intention.
4. Accessibility affects anaphora resolution, as more accessible entities are typically easier to refer back to, leading to smoother interpretation by listeners.
5. Understanding accessibility helps clarify why certain expressions are preferred over others in different contexts, influencing discourse coherence.

Review Questions

• How does accessibility influence the coherence of discourse and the management of focus among participants?
  • Accessibility significantly influences discourse coherence by determining which entities can be easily referenced and maintained as the focal points of conversation. When speakers use accessible entities as their reference points, it allows for smoother transitions between topics and helps listeners follow along without confusion. This management of focus is essential for maintaining a clear and engaging dialogue, ensuring that everyone is on the same page throughout the interaction.
• Discuss the relationship between accessibility and anaphora resolution, providing examples of how accessibility impacts this process.
  • Accessibility is closely tied to anaphora resolution because it determines how readily listeners can link pronouns or other referring expressions back to their antecedents. For example, if a character in a story has been recently mentioned and described in detail, they are more accessible for subsequent references using pronouns like 'he' or 'she.' Conversely, if a character was introduced earlier and hasn't been mentioned for a while, they may be less accessible, making it harder for listeners to correctly resolve which character is being referred to.
• Evaluate how Centering Theory incorporates the concept of accessibility in its analysis of discourse structure and flow.
  • Centering Theory integrates accessibility into its analysis by proposing that effective communication relies on maintaining accessible entities as centers of attention throughout discourse. It posits that speakers tend to keep certain participants or topics more accessible by regularly referring back to them, which aids listeners in tracking who or what is important at any given moment. This structured approach helps illuminate why certain topics dominate discussions while others fade into the background, reflecting the dynamics of conversational flow and participant engagement.

Related terms

Anaphora:

Anaphora is the linguistic term for when a word or phrase refers back to another word or phrase earlier in the discourse.

Centering Theory:

Centering Theory is a framework for analyzing how speakers maintain coherence in discourse by establishing and tracking the focus of attention among participants.

Referential Accessibility: Referential Accessibility is a specific aspect of accessibility that deals with how likely it is for a noun phrase to refer to an entity based on its previous mentions or the context of the conversation.