This paper demonstrates the need for a uniform model of discourse variation analysis which is equipped to capture the complex nature of discourse variation and change whilst also ensuring generalizability. A review of the literature shows that the current heterogeneity in corpus construction, data quantification and theorizing of discourse variables impedes reliability and intersubjectivity. Su...

This paper examines the indexical function of prosody in the signalling of discourse deixis and anaphora (in particular, contrastive accent versus low pitch and weak stress on certain types of context-bound referring expressions: demonstrative-based as well as 3rd person pronouns – mainly in English). The choice of contrastive versus weak stress on given expression types of this character will ...

The processing of noun-phrase (NP) anaphors in discourse is argued to reflect constraints on the activation and processing of semantic information in working memory. The proposed theory views NP anaphor processing as an optimization process that is based on the principle that processing cost, defined in terms of activating semantic information, should serve some discourse function--identifying ...

This contribution explores the subgroup of text structuring expressions with the form preposition + demonstrative pronoun, thus it is devoted to an aspect of the interaction of coreference relations and relations signaled by discourse connectives (DCs) in a text. The demonstrative pronoun typically signals a referential link to an antecedent, whereas the whole expression can, but does not have ...

This paper presents a production (rulebased) system designed to implement a general purpose discourse processing engine for spoken dialogue systems, and tries to show that the engine can carry out discourse and semantic analyses of various phenomena in spoken language in an integrated manner. The function of the engine is to give semantic/discourse analysis to parsed utterances and to determine...

A spontaneously spoken, natural Japanese discourse contains many instances of the so-called redundant interjections and of back-channel utterances. These expressions have not hitherto received much attention and few systematic analyses have been made, since they were regarded as useless, spurious expressions. On the basis of the analysis of spoken dialogue corpus, we claim that these utterances...

The purpose of this article is to present a study of metaphorical expressions in the Swedish forest-discourse, and thereby, to demonstrate a special function of metaphorical constructions in discourse, that is, to indicate contexts relevant to ongoing discourse. Traditionally, theorizing about metaphorical expressions has lacked considerations of discourse processes and temporary contexts, and,...

I present a descriptive analysis of reference to physical space in the Penn Discourse TreeBank. In particular, I analyze the occurrence of spatial prepositional phrases relative to the discourse relations and semantic senses that hold between two adjacent clauses. The purpose of this investigation is twofold: (1) to better understand how often spatial reference occurs in discourse and (2) to in...