endophoric

Endophoric is an adjective used in linguistics and discourse analysis to describe referential expressions whose interpretation relies on elements within the discourse itself. Endophoric references contrast with exophoric references, which point to entities outside the text or to real-world context shared by the speaker and reader.

Endophora encompasses two main subtypes: anaphora and cataphora. Anaphora is a backward reference to a previously mentioned antecedent, as in “John arrived late because he missed the bus,” where the pronoun “he” refers to John. Cataphora is a forward reference to an antecedent that appears later, as in “Before he spoke, John cleared his throat,” where “he” points ahead to John who is introduced later in the sentence. Endophoric references can take the form of pronouns, definite descriptions, or other cohesive devices that link different parts of the text.

In discourse analysis and natural language processing, endophora resolution (or coreference resolution) is the task of identifying the antecedents of endophoric expressions across sentences or within them. This capability is essential for accurate machine translation, information extraction, and text summarization, since correct linkage of referents affects meaning and coherence.

Endophora is contrasted with exophora, where the referent lies outside the text—for example, a deictic gesture or a referent in the physical context rather than in the discourse. Related concepts include deictic reference, anaphora, and coreference, all of which contribute to textual cohesion and interpretability.