Variation in Demonstrative Choice in Swedish

Abstract

This chapter deals with variation in the choice between two demonstrative forms in Swedish and discusses the desirability of modeling pragmatic phenomena such as referential choice, in an Optimality Theory (OT) framework. In particular, the influence of several factors on the choice of referential form are investigated: abstractness and animacy of the referent; and antecedent accessibility, which is operationalized as distance to the antecedent or anchor of the referent in the discourse. The first factors have to do with inherent properties of the referent while the second factor has more to do with discourse structure-particular factors. All these factors are linked to the level of activation of referents, generally acknowledged to underlie choice of referential form. In order to investigate the factors and the relative strengths of their influence, a small elicitation experiment was conducted. The analysis of the produced data showed a significant effect for distance to the antecedent or anchor, with animacy and abstractness of the referent also playing important roles.