PRAGMATICS

REFERENCE AND INFERENCE

By :
GROUP 2
Nanda Nurul Imaniah (A1B017086)
Wenny Mariska (A1B017087)
Rieke Ayu Oktriani (A1B017091)
Sarah Vianita S (A1B017095)
Oktazsya Marjelina Lorenza (A1B017106)

ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF BENGKULU
2020
 PREFACE

First of all, the writer wants to express his thanks to Allah SWT, because of His bless and
grace, the entitled ‘’Reference and Inference’’ can be finished on time.

This paper is a requirement to fulfill the presentation from Dr, Syafryadin, M.Pd. The
English lecturer of Bengkulu University. The writers also thanks to him for all the guidance to
complete it.In completing this paper, the writers faced many problems, but with the help of many
people, all the problems could be passed. May Allah SWT give the blessing.

Although this paper has many deficiencies in the arrangement and explanation, the
writers hope that it can be used as a reference for the reader to understand about Reference and
Inference.

February, 23rd 2020

The Writers

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

PREFACE.............................................................................................................. i
TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................... ii
BAB I INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 1
1.1 Background of Pragmatics................................................................................. 2
1.2 Purpose of the Paper.......................................................................................... 3

BAB II DISCUSSION........................................................................................... 4
2.1 Reference and Inference....................................................................................
2.2 Referential and Attributive Uses ......................................................................
2.3 Names and Referents ………………………………………………………….
2.4 The Role of Co-text ……………………………………………………………
2.5 Anaphoric Reference ………………………………………………………….
BAB III CLOSING................................................................................................ 8
3.1 Conclusion.........................................................................................................
3.2 Suggestion.........................................................................................................
REFERENCE......................................................................................................9

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 BAB I
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Definitions and Background of Pragmatics

Pragmatics is concerned with the study of meaning as communicated by a speaker (or
writer) and interpreted by a listener (or reader). Pragmatics is the study of speaker meaning.
This type of study necessarily involves the interpretation of what people mean in particular
context and how the context influences what is said. This type of study explores how a great
deal of what is unsaid is recognized as part of what is communicated. On the assumption of
how close or distant the listener is, speakers determine how much needs to be said.
(Pragmatics is the study of the expression of relative distance.
SYNTAX, SEMANTICS, AND PRAGMATICS
Syntax is the study of the relationships between linguistic forms, how they are arranged in
sequence, and which sequences are well-formed. Semantics is the study of the relationships
between linguistic forms and entities in the world, that is, how words literally connect to
things. Sematic analysis also attempts to establish the relationships between verbal
descriptions and states of affairs in the world as accurate or not, regardless of who produces
that description. Pragmatics is the study of the relationships between linguistic forms and the
users of those forms.Example of syntax: Cat drinks the milk (SVO)
REGULARITY
Regularity derives from the fact that people are members of social groups and follow general
patterns of behavior expected within the group. Regularity in language use derives from the
fact that most people within a linguistic community have similar basic experiences of the
world and share a lot of non-linguistic knowledge. The types of regularities just described are
extremely simple example of language in use which are largely ignored by most linguistic
analyses.
THE PRAGMATICS WASTEBASKET
For a long period in the study of language, there has been a very strong interest in formal
systems of analysis, often derived from mathematics and logic. A syntactic approach to this
sentence would be concerned with the rules that determine the correct structure and exclude
any incorrect orderings. Over on the semantics side of the table, however, there would have
been concern. Semantics is also concerned with the truth-conditions of propositions
expressed in sentences. If p is true, then p&q is true. If either p or q is not true, then the
conjunction of p& q is necessarily false. If p involves some action and q involves another

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action, we have an overhelming tendency to interpret the conjunction ‘and’ not as logical &
but as the sequential expression ‘and then’. Example: the duck ran up to Mary and licked her

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 .

1.2 Purpose of the Paper

1. To know more clearly about Reference and Inference
2. To know more clearly aboutReferential and Attributive Uses
3. To know more clearly aboutNames and Referents
4. To know more clearly aboutThe Role of Co-text
5. To know more clearly aboutAnaphoric Reference

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 BAB II
DISCUSSION
2.1 Reference and Inference
Reference is defined as a thing that speaker says or writes that mentions something or
somebody else (Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary, 8th Edition). Yule (1997) defined it as an
action in which communicator utilizes a linguisticforms in order to direct listeners into
identification of something. Sullivan (in Allan & Jaszczolt, 2012) described it as the relation that
obtains between as use of linguistic expression and what it stands for or denotes. Russel (in Allan
& Jaszczolt, 2012) differentiated between reference and denotation. As reference is specific and
mainstream link between an expression, referent or role; referring is simply labellingor tagging
something. Meanwhile -according to him- denotation is a unique link between expression and
something, with a satisfying specific condition and semantically well-expressed. Strawson
(1950) challenged this theory by emphasizing that referring is not done by the expression, but it
is a thing that can be utilized by human to do.
Reference is an act in which a speaker, or writer, uses linguistic forms to enable a listener, or
reader, to identify something. These linguistic forms are called referring expressions.Reference is
clearly tied to the speaker’s goals and beliefs in the use of language. Linguistic forms can be :
proper nouns, noun phrases (definite), noun phrases (indefinite), pronouns. The choice of one
type of referring expression rather than another seems to be based, to a large extent, on what the
speaker assumes the listener already knows. Reference is clearly tied to the speaker’s goals and 
beliefs in the use of language. For successful reference to occur, we must also recognize the role
of inference.
Inference is listeners’ task to discover the relationship between expressed entities with the
words (Yule, 1997). It is also defined as ‘making assertion’ using what listener or reader catch
from speakers’ or writers’ linguistic expression, and accepted as truth even it was clearly stated
(Norvig, 2007). It is clearly a cognitive process happening inside the human (listener/reader)
mind, transforming available and explicit information to create understanding (Wills, 2017). One
essential fact of inference is that it transfers the original meaning or information, directing into
something which explicitly unstated (Chan & McDermott, 2006).
Inferring is connecting prior knowledge to textbase information to create meaning beyond
what is directly stated.The role of inference in communication is to allow the listener to identify
correctly which particular entity the speaker is referring to. We can even use vague expressions
relying on the listener’s ability to infer what is the referent that we have in mind. Listeners make
inferences about what is said in order to arrive at an interpretation of the speaker’s intended
meaning. The choice of one type of referring expression rather than another seems to be based on

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what the speaker assumes the listener already knows. Words themselves don’t refer to anything.
People refer.Because there is no direct relationship between entities and words, the listener’s task
is to infer which entity the speaker intends to identify by using a particular expression:“Mister
Aftershave is late today”
2.2 Referential and Attributive
The concept of referring something doesn’t always match with the physical image or
entity. The certainty of existence also matters when someone referring, since the act of referring
also being directed towards something none exist, as in theseexample:
1. There is [a] beautiful girl waiting for you in the building
2. I would be happy to find [an] icy white cotton falling from the sky in Indonesia
3. Abdul wants to join [the] Surabaya’s green force
4. I don’t get any signs of [the thief]
5. No matter how hard it is, [the lover] will come through
The words [a], [an] and [the] are called attributive use since it can be replaced with
whoever or whatever description to describe unknown entity. But, it is not only restricted to that
simple words, since it can also uses phrase such in [4] and [5]. Meanwhile, the phrase beautiful
girl, icy white cotton falling from the sky and Surabaya’s green force are called referential use,
due to its referring to another entity that the speaker has already known its label, but intend to
describe with another expression to attract listeners or readers. In [1], speaker can easily state a
name of girl (diyah, lateefa or etc) which is actually well-known by him. But, instead of
mentioning it, speaker describes her with ‘beautiful girl’. This expression is functionally called
as referential use. In short, attributive is used to refer unknown entity, but referential is attached
to the known entity
2.3 Names and Referents
In reference there is a basic collaboration at work:
a. intention-to-identify
b. recognition-of-intention.
This process needs not only work between one speaker and one listener; it appears to work, in
terms of convention, between all members of a community who share a common language and
culture. Example: Brazil wins world cup
In referring to something, people can also use name. And based on the collaborative
understanding among all member of society (not only speaker and listener) the act of referring
something gains its success.Take a look on these examples:

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 1. Can I borrow your [Sukarno]?
2. Wow, it looks delicious, may I ask your [Bensu]?
3. Where does the [Mocachino] stay?
4. [Grasshopper] is coming full-armed
5. [Titanic] takes over the whole upper-shelf
What do you think when someone borrows Sukarno?. Sukarno is name of the first Indonesian
president and he had passed away years ago. Logically, borrowing Sukarno will never happen.
But, when the name ‘Sukarno’ is associated with ‘borrow’, listener can infer something else that
it is not a human named Sukarno, but a biographic book containing life story of Sukarno. The
association between ‘Sukarno’ (name) and the book (referent) is called Pragmatic connection.
The cooperative use of proper name to refer something else is influenced with the common
collaborative knowledge between the speaker and listener.
2.4 The Role of Co-text
Co-text is a linguistic material helping us to depict what the reference is actually referring
to. It is almost impossible to interpret what is actually expressed by speaker by ignoring the co-
text. Thus, every single unit of co-text is so much significant to discover the meaning when
certain expression is placed in the same position inside the sentence. Our ability to identify
intended referents has actually depended on more than our understanding of the referring
expression". It has been aided by the linguistic material, or co-text, accompanying the referring
expression. The referring expression actually provides a range of reference, that is, a number of
possible referents. That is, a number of possible referents.
Ex:
a. The cheese sandwich is made with white bread (food)
b. The cheese sandwich left without paying (person)
c. Titanic was in its maiden voyage
d. Titanic was considered as the best in romantic category
Surely, we can depict different entity of Titanic in [c] and [d]. The first Titanic is a huge
and luxurious ship, while the second Titanic is a Hollywood film starring Leonardo De Caprio
and Kate Winslet. But, what leads us into this correct interpretation? Yes, group of words after
the word Titanic. In [c] the association between Titanic and ‘maiden voyage’ leads us to the
image of ship. In [d] ‘romantic category’ contribute an image of love story in the film which
been awarded as best. Can we interpret that Titanic in [c] and [d] are different entity without
‘maiden voyage’ and ‘romantic category’, the answer is surely cannot. These two are examples
of what is called as co-text. As their importance is example of the significance role of co-text
toward the listeners’ or readers’ interpretation.

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2.5 Anaphoric Reference
In English, initial reference is often indefinite. The definite noun phrases and the
pronouns are examples of subsequent reference to already introduced referents, generally known
as anaphoric reference,  or anaphora". In technical terms, the second or subsequent expression is
the anaphora and the initial expression is the antecedent.. In the film, a man and a woman were
trying to wash a cat. The man was holding the cat while the woman poured water on it. He said
something to her and they started laughing”
In technical terms, the second or subsequent expression is the anaphor and the initial is
the antecedent.

a man  the man  he

a woman  the woman she

he + she  they

When the interpretation requires us to identify an entity, and no linguistic expression is

presented, it is called zero anaphora, or ellipsis.
Example: Cook for three minutes
The use of zero anaphora clearly creates an expectation that the listener will be able to
infer who or what the speaker intends to identify.

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 BAB III
CLOSING
3.1 Conclusion
Reference and inference is a concept on how meanings are expressed by speaker
through linguistic expressions and later being inferred (interpreted) by the listeners. The
expressions used to deliver the meaning are not always explicitly state the thing which been
referred, a meaning behind the meaning. These meanings are influenced significantly by the
collaborative understanding between speaker and listener, and all member of society. We can use
words, phrase, name and even sentence to refer, but co-text will determine that the meaning is
correctly caught by the listener. Under the scope of reference and inference referential and
attributive use are explored and so as anaphoric reference as feature. This topic is essential in
English Pragmatics and became fascinating issue to be discussed among linguists.

3.2 Suggestion
Successful references occur if the speaker is approved by the party responsible for
the assistance of the entity and certain entities with partners who can be used equally and
understood by those who support the speaker. References can also be interpreted as intentions
that can be identified, through inference, which refers to knowledge that is obtained together and
from here related to social relations.

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 REFERENCE
Fakhruddin, Z. (2018). Reference and Inference in English Pragmatics, Bachelor Degree Student
of English Department Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo.
Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329982523
Yule, George. (1997). Pragmatics. Oxford University Press: Oxford, United Kingdom.
Retrieved fromhttps://www.academia.edu/9731557/Pragmatic_Reference_and_Inference