Typology of anaphora

Author : Alexis Dimitriadis and Martin Everaert

Publication date : 2002

Questionnaire URL : http://www.let.uu.nl/~Alexis.Dimitriadis/personal/database/Questions.pdf

Bibliographical references :
Dimitriadis, Alexis & Everaert, Martin. 2002. Anaphora Typology Questionnaire, ms Utrecht University.

Goals

This questionnaire is intended to linguists to help the authors build "a cross-linguistic database on the typology of Anaphors" (Dimitriadis and Everaert, 2002 : 1)

"Our goal is to collect information on all “strategies” that your [meaning linguists] language uses to express a reflexive or reciprocal relationship. [...]  We study the properties of each strategy when used as a reflexive, of course, including coreference with adjuncts. But many local coreference strategies are also used to express coreference between arguments that are not in the same clause; and in many cases, a strategy can be used to express something other than coreference (e.g., as an intensifier). Such uses are also explored for each strategy we identify". (from the introduction to the questionnaire)

Protocol summary

" To decide what is a local coreference strategy, we rely on local coreference only; then its uses, local and non-local, are explored. In addition, the same sets of questions will be asked for pronouns (which are in principle a non-local coreference strategy). 

We proceed as follows to determine what will be included:
1. Make an inventory of strategies that have a clearly reflexive or reciprocal use.
2. Investigate the uses of each such strategy, (a) for local coreference, (b) for non-local coreference, and (c) any unrelated uses.
3. For comparison purposes, pronouns are also treated as a strategy and subjected to the same tests." (Dimitriadis and Everaert, 2002 : 1-2)

Development context

" Our aim is to collect relevant, quality information about each subject language included in the database. In order to accomplish this we will rely not only on your knowledge of the subject language, but also on your skills as a linguist. " (Dimitriadis and Everaert, 2002 : 1)