Anaphora and Discourse Structure

TL;DR

This paper proposes that many adverbial phrases function anaphorically to contribute relational meaning, simplifying discourse structure and enabling compositional semantics through a lexicalized grammar that integrates anaphor resolution and inference.

Contribution

It introduces a novel perspective on adverbial phrases as anaphors, and sketches a lexicalized grammar for discourse that combines compositional rules with anaphor resolution.

Findings

Adverbial phrases often work anaphorically rather than signaling discourse relations.

A simpler discourse structure can support compositional semantics effectively.

A lexicalized grammar framework facilitates discourse interpretation through rules, anaphor resolution, and inference.

Abstract

We argue in this paper that many common adverbial phrases generally taken to signal a discourse relation between syntactically connected units within discourse structure, instead work anaphorically to contribute relational meaning, with only indirect dependence on discourse structure. This allows a simpler discourse structure to provide scaffolding for compositional semantics, and reveals multiple ways in which the relational meaning conveyed by adverbial connectives can interact with that associated with discourse structure. We conclude by sketching out a lexicalised grammar for discourse that facilitates discourse interpretation as a product of compositional rules, anaphor resolution and inference.