First-person reference in discourse: Aims and strategies

In this paper I focus on the first-person reference as applied in conversation, addressing the question of the meaning of markers of first-person reference, the most typical of which is the first-person pronoun such as the English ‘I’. I assess the viability of applying the rigid indexical/non-indexical distinction to such markers, briefly discuss universal and culture-specific aspects to self-referring and, next, focusing on English, ask the question as to whether the English language has devices that are used uniquely and unambiguously for conveying self-reference in the most common sense, that of conveying ‘cognitive access to oneself’ ( Chierchia, 1989). Next, I proceed to discussing the attribution self-reference in reports on de se beliefs. I conclude by suggesting pragmatic universals that underlie the diversity in expressing, and reporting, first-person reference.