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ERIC Number: EJ834320
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-May
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0749-596X
EISSN: N/A
Lexical Entrainment and Lexical Differentiation in Reference Phrase Choice
Van Der Wege, Mija M.
Journal of Memory and Language, v60 n4 p448-463 May 2009
Speakers reuse prior references to objects when choosing reference phrases, a phenomenon known as lexical entrainment. One explanation is that speakers want to maintain a set of previously established referential precedents. Speakers may also contrast any new referents against this previously established set, thereby avoiding applying the same reference phrase to refer to different referents, a complementary phenomenon I call lexical differentiation. This study provides evidence for lexical differentiation in the context of lexical entrainment. Both phenomena are present when speakers and addressees interact, when speakers imagine addressees, and when speakers simply name objects. This indicates that lexical entrainment and lexical differentiation may be products of speaker-centered processes. However, the magnitudes of these effects differ when speakers have different audience demands, indicating that audience-centered processes may also be involved. (Contains 6 figures and 8 tables.)
Elsevier. 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32887-4800. Tel: 877-839-7126; Tel: 407-345-4020; Fax: 407-363-1354; e-mail: usjcs@elsevier.com; Web site: http://www.elsevier.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A