Work

The interpretation of logophoric and ordinary pronouns in Ewe: an experimental study

Year: 2024

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: This study examines the interpretation of logophoric and ordinary pronouns in Ewe. While the logophor yè is predicted to obligatorily refer to the attitude holder in indirect speech reports, the ordinary pronoun’s reference pattern remains debated. Thirty-eight Ewe-speaking adults completed an acceptability judgment task evaluating pronoun usage in self and anti-self contexts for communicative (say) and mental (think) verbs. The findings align with the principle of Maximize Presupposition, assuming yè encodes a presupposition: yè is preferred when its presupposition is met, blocking the occurrence of the ordinary pronoun é. In turn, é is favored only where the presupposition of yè fails, though less robustly than yè.

Source: BOA (University of Milano-Bicocca)

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14524470

Authors: Silleresi, Silvia, Bassi, Itai, Bimpeh, Abigail Anne, Driemel, Imke, Nuworsu, Anastasia, Guasti, Maria Teresa

Institutions: University of Milano-Bicocca, Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Ho Technical University

Language: English

Topic: Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

Subfield: Language and Linguistics

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: European Commission

Award: G478736358