Switch-reference and its role in referential choice in Mbyá Guaraní narratives

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Discourse Analysis
• Sociolinguistics

Background:

• Switch-reference marking is theorized to track references and prevent ambiguity.
• Kibrik proposed switch-reference as a referential aid, facilitating reduced expressions like pronouns.
• Its role in referential choice, particularly in preventing conflict, is a key area of study.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of switch-reference marking in multifactorial models of referential choice.
• To test Kibrik's theory on switch-reference as a referential aid in Mbyá Guaraní.
• To explore the extent to which switch-reference influences referential expression reduction.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of switch-reference marking within Mbyá Guaraní.
• Application of multifactorial models to understand referential choice.
• Quantitative assessment of the impact of switch-reference on mention reduction.

Main Results:

• Switch-reference marking was found to increase the likelihood of mention reduction in Mbyá Guaraní.
• This effect was observed to be marginal when compared to other predictors of referential choice.
• The findings indicate that switch-reference marking's influence is not solely limited to disambiguation.

Conclusions:

• The study supports the view of switch-reference marking as a referential aid.
• Results also highlight the multiplicity of functions for switch-reference, extending beyond reference disambiguation.
• The marginal effect suggests a complex interplay of factors in Mbyá Guaraní referential choice.