LE PROPRIETÀ CATAFORICHE DEL PRONOME DIMOSTRATIVO INVARIABILE QUESTO
THE CATAPHORIC FEAUTRES OF THE DEMONSTRATIVE NEUTER PRONOUN QUESTO

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the present paper is to examine the cataphoric uses mediated by the Italian demonstrative neuter pronoun questo in order to define the typology of these uses, observe and measure its cataphoric properties and potential and also to determine in intralinguistic perspective the most productive demonstrative form in cataphora, by comparing the analyzed proximal with its corresponding distal in Italian. In terms of general methodological and theoretical network, we discuss the multifunctionality of demonstratives as context-sensible unities of language and we present a summarised description of the cataphora conceived as an independent and complementary cohesive relation to anaphora, conforming to the theories of Marek Kęsik. As for typological analyses, we have recourse to the theories proposed by Kęsik and Michel Maillard for the purpose of distinguishing and describing cataphoric relations according to the following criteria: 1) complusory or optional nature of cataphoric reference, on the basis of which cataphoras in the strict and in the wide sense (or pseudocataphoras), respectively, can be discriminated; 2) form of cataphoric expression, in accordance to which morphematic cataphoras, realized by explicit pronominal form, and zero cataphoras, mediated by implicit pronominal form, can be discerned; 3) field of relation, i.e. the form of cotext, in conformity to which segmental and resumptive cataphoras can be distinguished; 4) scope, in other words the textual space covered by the cataphoric relation, which can be included within or surpass the sentence limit in intraphrastic and transphrastic cataphoras respectively; 5) manner of referent identification, direct or indirect, according to which we can differentiate between metalinguistic and cognitive cataphoras respectively.

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