Binding on the Fly: Cross-sentential Anaphora in Variable— Free Semantics

ion over assignments (^) allows us to bring the free variable pronoun into the scope of the quantifier. The indefinite's translation contains a state (=assignment) switcher {x\d}. This effectively associates a free variable d with the indefinite, though unlike DRT, solely for binding purposes. When {x\d} is prefixed to a proposition p, it sets the discourse marker d in p to the value of x, the variable bound by the existential quantifier. The pronoun gets bound iff its discourse marker is d. 3. IDENTITY MAPS AND CROSS-SENTENTIAL ANAPHORA: A FAIRLY STATIC SEMANTICS The simplest way to extend Jacobson's theory to cross-sentential anaphora might be this. Retain the DMG treatment of A man came in. Assume that {x\d} makes d contextually salient. He whistled starts out as a property. Assimilate the anaphoric use to the deictic use and apply this property to d. From here on, proceed as in (8). This extension may be viable, but it is not particularly interesting; I will not pursue it here. In developing alternative accounts, we first observe that abstraction over assignments will not be needed in the combinatory framework. Whether pronouns are interpreted as duplicators or as identity maps, they are not free variables. Therefore, bringing them within the scope of the intended binder is not an issue. Second, consider a rebracketing of (7), available due to the associativity of the categorial syntax: