Definition
|
Zero anaphora is the use of a gap, in a phrase or clause, that has an anaphoric function similar to a pro-form. |
|
It is often described as “referring back” to an expression that supplies the information necessary for interpreting the gap. |
Examples
- There are two roads to eternity , a straight and narrow, and a broad and crooked.
- In this sentence, the gaps in a straight and narrow [gap], and a broad and crooked [gap] have a zero anaphoric relationship to two roads to eternity.
Sources 2
- Hartmann and Stork 1972, 258–259
- Crystal 1985, 339