Merging without mystery or: Variables in dynamics semantics

In this paper we discuss the treatment of variables in dynamic semantics. Referent systems are introduced as a exible mechanism for working with variables. In a referent system we carefully distinguish the variables themselves both from the machinery by which we manipulate them|their names|and from the information that we store in them|their values. It is shown that the referent systems provide a natural basis for dynamic semantics. The semantics with referent systems is compared with the familiar formalisms in dynamic semantics, DRT and DPL.