Production and Comprehension of Referring Subjects
نویسندگان
چکیده
In this paper we present a cognitive model of the acquisition and use of referring expressions in discourse. In certain discourse contexts, children produce unrecoverable pronouns where a full NP would have been the adult choice. Based on computational simulations of our model, we argue that adult-like use of referring subjects requires (a) sufficient working memory capacity to identify the discourse topic and (b) sufficient speed of processing to determine whether the intended meaning is recoverable for the listener from the expression used. The cognitive model allows us to investigate the complex interaction between formal linguistic constraints and cognitive factors. In addition, the model generates detailed and testable predictions with respect to linguistic performance.
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