referenzieller

Referenzieller is a German term built from Referenz and is used to describe things related to reference or referentiality. In German linguistics the related common adjective is referenziell; referenzieller appears as the inflected form when used with a noun in sentences, for example ein referenzieller Ausdruck or eine referenzielle Funktion.

In linguistic discourse, referenzieller expressions are linguistic elements that point to or denote entities in the discourse or the external world. Pronouns, proper names, definite descriptions, and certain demonstratives can be referenziell because they contribute to identifying a specific referent. Referentiality helps track entities across sentences and grounding in the communicative context. By contrast, non-referential or predicative expressions do not pick out a concrete entity in this way.

Usage notes indicate that referenzieller is primarily a grammatical inflection rather than a stand-alone lexical category. The more common way to talk about this concept is to refer to referenzielle Ausdrucksformen or referenzielle Funktionen, while the noun form Referenz or Referent is often preferred for explicit reference to the entity itself. In technical or theoretical writing, the idea of referenziell behavior may also appear in discussions of referentiality, referential expressions, and the role of context in interpretation.

See also: Referenz, Referenzielle Kommunikation, Referenzialität, referenziell (adjective), pronouns and other referential expressions.