The role of linear order in the computation of referential dependencies

• Weak crossover arises from the lack of accessibility of a discourse reference at the point at which the reference of a pronoun is fixed in the course of processing.
• Classical weak crossover configurations do not produce unacceptability when the antecedent is sufficiently accessible at the point at which the pronoun is processed.
• Similar linear order effects can be seen in the interpretation of sentences that should violate the binding conditions if viewed strictly in configurational terms.

I consider several types of referential dependencies: those between bound pronouns and their antecedents, e.g. weak crossover and the classical binding conditions. Constraints on such dependencies have typically been formulated in linguistic theory in terms of conditions on the syntactic structures in which these elements are arrayed. I suggest that a relevant factor in determining the well-formedness of such dependencies is the linear order in which the elements appear. On this view, computation of a referential dependency is sensitive to the extent to which the antecedent is accessible in discourse at the point in the string where the dependent element is processed in the course of interpretation. The evidence suggests that the interaction between linear order and discourse structure provides a more satisfactory account of certain well-known effects than do constraints formulated in terms of syntactic structure.