Which term describes an expression that refers to something outside the discourse context?

Which term describes an expression that refers to something outside the discourse context?

• A. Exophoric
• B. Endophoric
• C. Anaphoric
• D. Cataphoric

Answer: (B)

Exophoric reference describes an expression that points to something outside the text, relying on the shared situational context rather than something introduced in the discourse itself. In conversation or real life, words like this, that, there, or you gain their meaning from what the speaker and listener can see or know about the situation, not from the preceding sentences. Endophoric reference, in contrast, is about things that exist within the discourse. Within that category, anaphoric references go back to something previously mentioned, while cataphoric references point forward to something that will be mentioned later. So, when the referent lies outside the discourse context, the appropriate term is exophoric.

Exophoric reference describes an expression that points to something outside the text, relying on the shared situational context rather than something introduced in the discourse itself. In conversation or real life, words like this, that, there, or you gain their meaning from what the speaker and listener can see or know about the situation, not from the preceding sentences. Endophoric reference, in contrast, is about things that exist within the discourse. Within that category, anaphoric references go back to something previously mentioned, while cataphoric references point forward to something that will be mentioned later. So, when the referent lies outside the discourse context, the appropriate term is exophoric.