R-expression

<p>In <a href="/facts/Noam_Chomsky/3rtpzlER">Noam Chomsky</a>'s <a href="/facts/Government_and_binding_theory/2DTpSetS">government and binding theory</a> in <a href="/facts/Linguistics/oQuamvf2">linguistics</a>, an R-expression (short for "<a href="/facts/Referring_expression/YqQWcb39">referring expression</a>" (<i>the linked article explains the different, broader usage in other theories of linguistics</i>) or "referential expression") is a <a href="/facts/Noun_phrase/mmz3tJt9">noun phrase</a> that refers to a specific real or imaginary <a href="/facts/Entity/yV29WTrT">entity</a>. In contrast with <a href="/facts/Anaphora_(linguistics)/gm1WHVBF">anaphors</a> and <a href="/facts/Pronouns/UsbSNRSl">pronouns</a>/pronominals, R-expressions obey condition C, which states that they are free, not <a href="/facts/Binding_(linguistics)/hW5us5Cd">bound</a> to any other element. R-expressions include <a href="/facts/Determiner_phrase/BIzVM7zt">determiner phrases</a> that are <a href="/facts/Definiteness/0CAjpK8m">definite</a>, and <a href="/facts/Name/b0E3kuD1">names</a>.
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R-expression open-in-new

R-expression