duospecificisiin

Duospecificiseen is a theoretical construct in semantics and pragmatics that describes a dual specification mechanism for referent identification in discourse. In this framework, certain expressions encode two independent specificity constraints that listeners must integrate to identify a single referent.

Origin and terminology: The term duospecificiseen is a coined term combining the idea of two (duo-) with specification (specific-), plus a conventional suffix used in some theoretical models to denote a property. It is primarily discussed in speculative or experimental discussions rather than as a widely attested feature of natural languages.

Core ideas: A duospecificiseen expression carries two simultaneous cues—such as a discourse-property cue and a contextual-identity cue. Interpretive algorithms must satisfy both constraints. Readings are typically described as conjunctive, where both cues must hold for the referent, or selective, where one cue narrows the candidate set and the second confirms identity. In languages or models that employ dual encoding, determiner phrases or markers may host dual specification elements.

Examples: In a narrative about two researchers, a hypothetical duospecificiseen marking might require the referent to be among the two researchers who both meet a cited property, thereby combining a set-membership constraint with a property constraint.

Implications: The concept is used in thought experiments and computational simulations to explore reference resolution and discourse structure. It provides a way to model cases where specificity is determined by the interaction of two cues. Critics argue that it adds complexity beyond established notions of definiteness, focus, or presupposition.

See also: definiteness, specificity, deixis, anaphora, coreference.