Reconstruction, anaphora, and pronouns as identity maps

Abstract

This paper examines how pronouns interpreted as identity maps fit into a framework of dynamic semantics. There are at least two reasons why this question is interesting for the linguist. First, Jacobson (1997) has argued, with reference to classical sentence-internal test cases like antecedent contained deletion, functional readings, i-inside-i, etc. that the identity map interpretation of pronouns is preferable to the traditional free variable interpretation. If Jacobson's arguments are convincing, and I believe they are, then it is imperative to extend this theory to cross-sentential anaphora. Second, this proposal has a further advantage that is not explored in Jacobson's papers: it makes "reconstruction" costless. Chierchia (1995) points out that in free variable theories, reconstruction poses the same logical problem as cross-sentential anaphora. It is of some interest to compare what Îogical apparatus these require on the present proposal.