On coordinating interpretations — optimality and rational interaction
Anton Benz · Pragmatics & beyond. New series · 2003
In this paper we investigate some questions about coordination and interpretation which have been addressed by bidirectional Optimality Theory (Bi–OT). We consider examples from anaphora resolution, and there especially the role of epistemic contexts and expectations. We look at communicative acts as joint projects following H.H. Clark (1996) and model them by using multi–agent systems with joint goals. We especially try to clarify the relation between a model which approaches anaphora resolution within a theory of rational interaction and bidirectional Optimality Theory. We hope that this will lead to a clearer understanding of the reasoning behind Bi–OT if applied to interpretation tasks in dialogue. 1