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Glite Dictionary
coreference

coreference

8.8
Two words in a sentence mean the same person or thing, for example 'John' and 'he'
  • noun
  • /ˌkɔːrɪˈfɛrəns/
  • Specialized
translation icon : correferencia
  • In the sentence 'Alice said she would join us later', the word 'she' is an example of coreference because it refers back to 'Alice'.

Examples

  • Deciding coreference may also involve literary, cultural, or world knowledge, as well as familiar scripts.

    Academic text (2004)

  • We are currently exploring joint inference models and identification of relations that span multiple sentences using coreference resolution.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Numerous, differing referring expressions may be assigned by the reader to the same character, even if coreference cannot be linguistically decided.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Understanding coreference helps improve clarity in writing by ensuring that pronouns and noun phrases are correctly linked.

  • In academic writing, identifying coreference relationships can enhance the coherence of the text by linking ideas together.

Surface Forms

coreference singular
coreferences plural

Morphology

coreference = reference (semi-transparent) = co + reference

The form 'co-' + 'reference' transparently suggests shared or mutual referring, but the sense is a technical linguistic term that may not be obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Coreference comes from co- meaning 'together' and reference meaning 'referring to someone or something'. So coreference is when two words in a sentence point to the same person or thing, as in 'John' and 'he' in 'John said he would come'.