Semántica y Pragmática 1.

1. Which types of reference (definite, specific, non-specific, generic) do the italicised noun phrases
in the following joke illustrate?
A man giving a talk to a multinational audience tells a joke about the Irish. Someone at the back of
the hall jumps up and protests angrily: “I’m Irish!” “OK”, says the speaker, “I’ll say it again —
slowly.”
2. Which types of reference are involved in the italicised referring expressions and what meanings
do they suggest?
a. My husband and I don’t get along very well any more.
b. He has changed so much.
c. Gerald has become so utterly conceited.
d. This Gerald is not the same man that I married.
e. But this bloke can still be so nice sometimes.
f. The little bastard even buys me flowers every week.

3. Which of the following proper names take the definite article and why?
a. Mississippi (state)
b. Mississippi (river)
c. Everglades (swamps in Florida)
d. Deep South
e. British Museum
f. Waterloo Station
g. Balkans

4. Choose the most appropriate type of generic reference (indefinite singular/plural, definite
singular/plural) for the following generic statements and justify your choice. Note that elements
other than the referring expression and the verb may need to be adjusted.
a. … Italian (be) quite different from … German.
b. … car (have) changed our lives.
c. … cat (like) fish.
d. … dog (be) the oldest domesticated animal.
e. … New Yorker (drop) … r’s.
f. … ostrich (be) the largest bird in the world.
g. … Italian (eat) spaghetti.
h. … rolling stone (gather) no moss.
i. … customer (be) always right.
j. … cat (sleep) most of the day