Practice-Assignment 4

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))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))S6$)SEMANTICS)&)PRAGMATICS
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))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) PRACTICE/ASSIGNMENTS 4
E.x. 1 For the sentences below decide whether the italicized noun phrases are referring expressions or not, and
explain why (or why not). If the sentence is ambiguous explain why it is ambiguous.
His father married a dancer

John wants to marry a dancer
The whale is the largest mammal
The man who shot Kennedy was Lee Harvey Oswald
All the italicized noun phrases are referring expressions because they refer to a specific person or things or concepts.
E.x. 2. Are the following generic sentences?
(1) Gentlemen prefer blondes Yes
(2) Jasper is a twit No
(3) The male of the species guards the eggs Yes
(4) A wasp makes its nest in a hole in a tree Yes
(5) A wasp just stung me on the neck No

E.x. 3.
(1) Take the utterance‘If any one makes too much noise,you have my permission to strangle him’. On hearing this,
could the hearer be expected to identify the referent of him? Yes / No
(2) In the utterance just mentioned, is him semantically definite? Yes/No
(3) Which particular donkey does it refer to in Every man who owns a donkey beats it? The
pronoun "it" refers to the donkey that each man owns.
(4) Is it in Every man who owns a donkey beats it semantically definite? Yes / No
E.x. 4.Are the following referring expressions?

1.a Moroccan, used in ‘He is looking for a Moroccan’ Yes
2.a Moroccan, used in ‘He wants to hire a Moroccan’ Yes
3.Ahmed in ‘Ahmed is my colleague’ Yes
4.She in ‘she’s a nice lady, said by a wife to her husband in a conversation about their neighbor Yes
5.He in‘If anyone ever marries Nancy,he’s in for a bad time’ No
6.the person who did this in ‘The person who did this must be insane’, spoken by someone on discovering a
brutally mutilated corpse, where the speaker has no idea who committed the crime No
7.Smith’s murderer in‘Smith’s murderer must be insane’,uttered in circumstances like the above, where the
corpse is Smith’s No
E.x. 5. The following occur in expressions with concrete reference and in expressions that have abstract reference.
For each noun give an example of each kind of reference. Is there also a difference of countability? representation
personality
E.x. 6. Are the following words deictic? (1) here Yes (2) Wednesday No (3) place No (4) today Yes (5) you Yes
E.x. 7. Use an utterance of your own to report each of the following utterances from a vantage point distant in time
and space, changing all the deictic terms to preserve the correct relationships with the situation of the original
utterance. Assume that John was speaking to you in each case.
(1) John:‘I don’t live in this house anymore’
(2) John:‘I need your help right now’
(3) John:‘Why wouldn’t you come to London with me yesterday?’
(1) John said to me, "I don't live in that house anymore."
(2) John said to me, "I needed your help right then."
(3) John asked me, "Why wouldn't you come to London with me yesterday?"
E.x. 8. Identify all the deictic expressions in the following sentences and be able to explain why they are deictic. a
You noticed me standing there
b This book was written by that author over there
c Now we have to make plans for next week ?
a) "You" is a deictic expression because it refers to the person being addressed in the immediate context. "There" is
also deictic because it refers to a location that is spatially distant from the speaker but within sight of the addressee. b)
"This" is a deictic expression because it refers to something that is physically close to the speaker. "That" is also
deictic because it refers to something that is physically distant from both the speaker and the addressee. "Over there" is
also deictic because it refers to a location that is spatially distant from both the speaker and the addressee. c) "Now" is
a deictic expression because it refers to the time at which the speaker is currently speaking. "We" is also deictic
because it refers to the speaker and the addressee who are present in the immediate context. "Next week" is also deictic
because it refers to a time is in the future.
E.x. 9. Which of the underlined expressions have specific reference and which do not? 1 Somebody telephoned and left a
message for you.
2 I hope somebody will tidy up this file cabinet
3 The last person to leave the office should lock the door. Has a specific referent
4 A stitch in time saves nine.
E.x. 10.What do the underlined words refer to?

1 Pete promised me a souvenir from Paris but I never got it.
2 Pete promised me a souvenir from Paris but I never got one.
3 Frances asked Shirley to lend her some money.
4 Frances promised Shirley to lend her some money.
5 The police arrested several demonstrators because they were
destroying property.
6 The police arrested several demonstrators because they felt the
demonstration was getting violent.

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UM5$FLSH$)RABAT)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

His father married a dancer

E.x. 2. Are the following generic sentences?

(1) Gentlemen prefer blondes Yes

(2) Jasper is a twit No

(3) The male of the species guards the eggs Yes

(4) A wasp makes its nest in a hole in a tree Yes

(5) A wasp just stung me on the neck No

E.x. 4.Are the following referring expressions?

E.x. 10.What do the underlined words refer to?

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