This book develops a pragmatic theory of anaphora within the neo-Gricean framework of conversational implicature. Chomsky claims that anaphora reflects underlying principles of innate Universal Grammar, and the view is widely held that only syntactic and semantic factors are crucial to intrasentential anaphora. Yan Huang questions the basis of the Government and Binding approach and argues that syntax and pragmatics are interconnected in determining many anaphoric processes. Furthermore, he proposes that the extent to which syntax and pragmatics interact varies typologically. There exists a class of language (such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean) in which pragmatics play a central role that in familiar European languages is alleged to be played by grammar. Yan Huang's pragmatic theory has far reaching implications for this important issue in theoretical linguistics.

'An excellent contribution to the literature on anaphora, pragmatics, and the grammar-pragmatics interface … H[uang]'s book presents a wealth of data, interesting analyses, and intriguing questions for further research.'

Source: Language

'The book makes a valuable addition to the literature on anaphora, and will prove a rich source of observations, insights and future research topics … It also makes a significant theoretical contribution to the development of a pragmatic account of certain aspects of anaphora.'

Source: Journal of Linguistics

'Huang's outstanding book not only puts forth an explicit theory of the pragmatic factors involved, but can also be compared in rigour and coverage with any available accounts of anaphora.'

Source: Journal of Chinese Linguistics

'Huang … qualif[ies] as one of that rare variety of linguists who is conversant with both the technicalities of syntactic theory and the subtleties of pragmatics. By considering the syntax and pragmatics of anaphora … Huang's book makes a significant contribution to the boundary dispute between these two branches of the study of language.'

Source: Journal of Pragmatics

'I fully recommend this book … The interplay between principles at various levels of linguistic analysis revealed in this book will certainly appeal to all linguists: both syntacticians and pragmatists, formalists and functionalists.'

Source: Australian Journal of Linguistics