Binding

Linguistics 322

Intermediate Syntax

Binding is a relationship that holds between what is traditionally called a pronoun and the antecedent of the pronoun. Pronouns are words that have no reference. They must be linked to some other form, called an antecedent, to determine their referent. There are two general classes of pronouns. The first are called anaphors. The antecedent of the anaphor must be in the same clause as the anaphor. This restriction will be modified. Consider the following sentence:

(1)     John saw himself in the mirror.

The pronoun himself is an anaphor; John is its antecedent. By linking himself to its anaphor John. the referent of himself is determined--the referent is John. The anaphor is now said to be bound to its antecedent. The anaphor cannot be bound to an antecedent in another clause:

(2)     *John said that Mary saw himself.

Sentence (2) fails because the anaphor himself must be bound a NP in its own clause, and the only other NP in the clause is Mary, but Mary is feminine whereas himself is masculine. The gender of the anaphor must agree with the gender of the antecedent. Note that if himself were replaced with herself, the sentence would be acceptable:

(3)    John said that Mary saw herself.

The anaphor herself is feminine and the antecedent Mary is also feminine.

The anaphors which end in '-self' are called reflexive anaphors. English contains another set of anaphors called reciprocal anaphors. Reciprocal anaphors require a plural subject. Two examples include:

(4) John and Mary sent each other a new CD.

(5) We spoke to each other last night..

In (4) the reciprocal anaphor means that John sent Mary a new CD and that Mary sent John a new CD. In (5) the reciprocal anaphor means that the speaker and some other person (we) spoke to the other. Reciprocal anaphors do not imply a reflexive interpretation.

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