referentsiga

Referentsiga is a term used in some contemporary discussions of linguistic reference to describe the signaling apparatus that helps a listener identify the referent of an expression within a discourse. The term appears primarily in niche theoretical work and is not widely standardized.

Definition and scope: Referentsiga refers to the ensemble of cues accompanying a referential expression that guide the listener to identify the intended entity. These cues can include demonstratives (this/that), pronouns, reiteration, prosody, gesture, and contextual cues such as shared knowledge or topic continuity.

Relation to other concepts: It overlaps with deixis, anaphora, and coreference but emphasizes signaling function rather than the grammatical or lexical role of a word. It can be analyzed as a higher-level discourse mechanism that interacts with syntax, morphology, and multimodal communication in real time.

Mechanisms and examples: In a conversation, a speaker might point to an object and say "this chair" while extending an arm. The gesture and demonstrative together function as referentsiga, reinforcing which chair is intended, especially in a setting with multiple chairs. In narrative, repeated mentions, prosody, and strategic placement help the audience track the referent across sentences.

Status and reception: Some linguists treat referentsiga as a useful label for describing multimodal referential signaling, while others regard it as overlapping with existing notions of deixis and coreference and prefer to integrate it within those frameworks. Further research is sparse, and terminology varies by author.

See also: Deixis; Anaphora; Coreference; Discourse markers.