Anaphora resolution and minimal models

Some anaphora resolution algorithms are based on model builders, and use the fact that they generate minimal models: only those elements that are necessary are postulated to exist in the model. In this way, such systems have the desirable property that if anaphora can be resolved to a linguistically available antecedent, this resolution applies, and only if there is no suitable antecedent, a deictic reading is generated. In this paper I formalize the entailments that follow from such anaphora resolution algorithms. In particular, I will suggest a simple, linguistically motivated, underspecified representation for anaphora—DRT, and place the burden of the resolution of anaphora and its consequences on an independently motivated logic for default reasoning—Default Logic.