The discourse function of pronouns
The principal function of personal pronouns is to help establish major referents in the discourse by setting up referential (or identity) chains by means of anaphora. This is an important part of referential coherence, of making important referents continuous and salient enough to be perceived and remembered by listeners and readers. In conversation, interlocutors participate in the joint construction of referential chains, as can be seen in our next illustration.
A new referent is likely to be introduced first by a proper noun such as Vera or Mother, when the speaker expects the addressee to be able to identify the referent. Otherwise, a full nominal group containing descriptive information is used (a/the girl I met this morning at the Post Office). Subsequent mentions can be carried out by pronouns, which are ‘lighter’ than nouns and much lighter than extended nominal groups. Finally, zero anaphora (She came in and (0) sat down) is even lighter than the pronoun. From time to time, especially if ambiguity might arise through two referents having the same gender (‘Vera’ and ‘Mother’, she . . . she), the pronoun is replaced by the proper noun. Anaphoric reference has also been described as a device of cohesion.
In the following extract from Just Between Ourselves, by Alan Ayckbourn, the italicized pronouns function in referential chains:
Neil: Vera’s looking better.
Dennis: Oh, she is. She’s a lot better. She’s getting better every day. Once she and
mother
can bury the hatchet, we’ll be laughing.
Neil: Are they still . . .?
Dennis: Not talking at all.
Neil: Really.
Dennis: Well, actually, it’s Vera who’s not talking to mother. Mother comes in
one door, Vera goes out the other. Ridiculous. Been going on for weeks. I said to
them – look, girls, just sit down and have a laugh about it. There’s only one life,
you know. That’s all you’ve got. One life. Laugh and enjoy it while you can. We’ll
probably all be dead tomorrow so what’s the difference? Do they listen to me?
Do they hell!
When two referents share identifying properties, naming may not be sufficient to avoid ambiguity in the use of a pronoun. In the following example, inference based on the interpretation of concession in ‘though’, and of reason in ‘because’ enables the hearer or reader to correctly assign the referent of he in the subordinate clauses:
Tom jumped in the river to save Bill though he couldn’t swim. (he = Tom) Tom jumped in the river to save Bill because he couldn’t swim. (he = Bill)
