Centering in Japanese: A Step Towards Better Interpretation of Pronouns and Zero-Pronouns

An extens ion of tile notion of "center ing" is descr ibed for illt erl)rcting zero|)rOIlO[lllS ~llld OVOFL l)l'O[IOl[llS in lia, Lllr;dly oCcllrring Japanese l:exl,, hi l)rcvi ous work, Oile ZeFO-[)l'OllOIlll (~llcodo,q the t )ackward-looking center , with i)rollOllllS a, nd o ther ze ro -p ronouns ha.ndh;d as if they were overtly expressed. All i nves t iga t ion is lnadc, and f ro ln il, pronouli.q mid zoroprollOtl l iS al'(; couc, ludcd t,o t)(; l i iorc snlionl, t i tan o the r ovorl, i/Otlll phl'a,~scs;, Th i s eli. ablcs bei, ter intx;rprcl, a t ion o f pronol l l lS aud ZOl 'o-prOl lOt l l lS .