Referent
Definition:
A referent is the concrete object or concept that is designated by a word or expression. A referent is an object, action, state, relationship, or attribute in the referential realm. |
Introduction:
Words are used to represent things and experiences in the real or imagined world. Different words can be used to describe the same thing or experience. |
Examples:
Historically, there was only one person called George Washington, the first president of the United States. He can be referred to in a text in many ways, such as
- the president
- Mr. Washington
- he, or even
- my friend.
Even though there are many ways to talk about him, there is only one referent in the referential realm. |
See Also:
Source:
259–260
989
This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library. Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003.