Topicality and attention in pronoun interpretation: the role of accessibility and predictability
Chui Yin Ng, Heeju Hwang, Wen Cui · Discourse Processes · 2025
Topical entities are proposed to occupy a central position in attentional focus, making them more likely candidates for pronominal reference. The current study investigates how topicality affects the interpretation of null and overt pronouns in Mandarin and the cognitive mechanisms underlying these interpretations. We found that both null and overt pronouns were more likely to be interpreted as referring to topical entities than nontopical entities. We suggest that topicality influences pronoun interpretation because accessibility and predictability of topical entities bring them into attentional focus. However, we argue that the two mechanisms may drive the interpretation of null and overt pronouns to different degrees.