Referent Tracking in Bambara: a case study testing accessibility theory using Accessibility Tracking

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Linguistics (MA)

Giljam, Linde (2024)

Referent Tracking in Bambara: a case study testing accessibility theory using Accessibility Tracking

Master thesis | Linguistics (MA)

Mira Ariel’s accessibility theory tries to account for the linguistic encoding of referents over the course of a text in a language-universal hierarchy. This thesis uses its predictions to construct an accessibility hierarchy for Bambara (Mali) using the custom Accessibility Tracking annotation scheme. The results show that Bambara to some extent adheres to the predicted default patterns, but that accessibility is not the only motivation underlying referent expression and that there are also language-specific exceptions to the rule, such as the status of the proximate and distal demonstrative.

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Bambara Reference corpus

Corpora Mandeica