An Example

Agenda: Assume we are talking about an apple, and have the information as in figure 4 to express. In short, the facts on the agenda are: Owner, Variety, and Position.

  
Figure: An Example Information Base

Referential Context: Assume also that we have several red apples, but only one on the table. The apple above has been mentioned, but not for a while, with other apples mentioned since.

Stage 1: Building the Nucleus:

1. Choose Referential form: Since the item is not the Cb, we cannot use a pronoun. Since it doesn't have a proper-name, proper-noun reference is also out. We are forced to use a common noun-phrase.
2. Choose Restrictive Modifiers: We have a set of potential referential restrictors of: (Class Owner Color Variety Position Taste). Of these, we can only refer using assimilated roles, so we can use: (Class Color Position). We also have the agenda role-list of: (Owner Variety Position). of which the assimilated items are: (Position). Since the Class fact is assimilated, we automatically take the class as the head of the referring NP, e.g., the apple. This is not however unique, so we need to add more restrictions. We use the first (and only) item in the assimilated agenda: Position: the apple on the table. This happens now to be unique, so we have a functional referring NP.
3. Fill in Unused Slots: This leaves two facts unexpressed: Owner and Variety. The Owner predicate can normally be expressed in one of two slots of the nucleus:
   • the Deictic slot e.g., John's apple on the table; or,
   • the Qualifier slot (after the Head noun, e.g., the apple that John owns on the table. (I assume here that non-restrictive relative clauses are always satelites, discussed below).

   In both of these slots, the inclusion of unassimilated Owner information seems to mess up the reference, seemingly because it implies the reader should already know the ownership. We thus leave the Owner role for expression in a satelite position (realised as a non-restrictive relative clause, e.g., the apple on the table, which john owns).

   The variety fact can be realised best through the Classifier slot, e.g., the Granny Smith apple on the table. This does not seem to interfere with the referring function, so this fact-type would occur on our list of facts which can appear in a pre-modifier slot without interfering with the referring function.

This stage thus ends with the referring slot consisting of: the Granny Smith apple on the table. We have only one item left on the agenda, the Owner fact.

Stage 2: Adding Satelites The Owner fact can be incorporated into the NP as a satelite (as a non-referring relative clause), e.g., the Granny Smith apple on the table, which John owns.