Some Interlocking Concerns which Govern Participant Reference in Narrative

Abstract

My excuse for adding another article on participant reference in narrative to the arleady excellent and extensive literature on the subject (Grimes 1995, Giv6n 1983, Kim 1994, and others) is to suggest that there are some interlocking concerns which have not adequately been disentangled, described, and correlated in this ongoing discussion. One such set of correlations has to do with three variables: the resources of a given language which are available for participant reference: the ranking of participants so referenced in given stories: and the particular operations all lumped together under the general rubric participant reference. The interlocking of these three factors characterizes any and all participant references within a narrative so that each variable, actualized in a given value is found jointly with values of the other two variables. Any given instance of participant reference in any story within any language can be described in terms of values of the three variables. The data thus marshalled and organized can then make possible generalizations regarding participant reference in a given text in a given language. With the additions of further texts in the language a theory of participant reference for narrative text can be formulated for that language-subject to correction or expansion in the light of further texts which can be more quickly scanned than the texts used for the original theory building.