# Q3b · Cohesion, coherence and discourse markers

Subject: Natural Language Processing

Exam: TEE

Reader: https://deep-learning-study-room.vercel.app/nlp/#tee/papers/legacy-r25/q3b

Canonical: https://deep-learning-study-room.vercel.app/read/nlp/tee/papers/legacy-r25--q3b/

Previous examination · complete worked answers

**Question. Explain cohesion, coherence and discourse markers.** [5 marks]

### Answer

**Pragmatic analysis** interprets an utterance using its situation and the speaker’s intended meaning. **Discourse analysis** studies how utterances connect across a text or conversation. Syntax and literal word meanings alone cannot settle every interpretation.

| Text | Literal content | Contextual interpretation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| “Can you close the window?” | A question about ability. | Usually a polite request. |
| “Meera bought a laptop. It was expensive.” | Two sentences. | “It” connects the second sentence to the laptop. |
| “Meet me here tomorrow.” | An instruction. | Me, here and tomorrow depend on speaker, place and date. |

### Reference, mention and antecedent

A **referring expression** points to an entity; a **mention** is its occurrence in the text. Its **referent** is the entity being discussed. An **antecedent** is a preceding expression used to interpret a later referring expression. Reference resolution identifies the intended referent. Coreference resolution groups mentions that refer to the same entity.

“Meera”name mention

→

Person entitysame referent

→

“she” / “the engineer”other mentions

| Concept | Definition | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Anaphora | Reference back to something introduced earlier. | “Riya arrived. She sat down.” She → Riya. |
| Cataphora | Reference forward to a later expression. | “Before she spoke, Riya checked the microphone.” she → Riya. |
| Exophora | Reference to the situation outside the text. | “Put it there”, said while pointing. |
| Coreference | Two or more mentions refer to the same entity. | “Dr Rao”, “the lecturer”, “she”. |
| Pronoun resolution | Find the referent of a pronoun. | Resolve “it” in “The laptop stopped because it overheated.” |

Coreference is broader than pronoun resolution: repeated names and descriptions also form a chain. Anaphora describes direction/dependence; coreference describes identity. In “I bought a car. The engine is noisy”, engine is related to the car but is not the same entity.

**Yaad rakho:** Reference = kiski baat? Coreference = alag mentions, same entity. Pronoun resolution = he/she/it kis se linked?

### Cohesion, coherence and discourse markers

**Cohesion** is the explicit linguistic linking of a text through reference, repeated or related words, conjunctions and other devices. In “Rita bought a book. She read it”, she and it connect the second sentence to Rita and the book.

**Coherence** is the conceptual unity that makes a discourse meaningful. “The road flooded, so the match was cancelled” presents a plausible cause and consequence. A reader relates the propositions using context and knowledge.

**Discourse markers** signal relationships or organize speech: however signals contrast; therefore signals a result; first and next signal sequence; for example introduces an illustration.

These concepts differ: “I like apples. Therefore the moon is square” has a linking word but no sensible inference. A connector alone does not guarantee coherence.

**Yaad rakho:** Cohesion = words se link; coherence = meaning se link; marker = relation ka signal.

### Definitions and examples requested in this part

| Term | Definition | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cohesion | Explicit language links connecting text: pronouns, repetition, conjunctions, lexical ties | Rita bought a book. She read it. She/it refer back to Rita/book. |
| Coherence | Conceptual unity and plausible relations making the text meaningful | The road flooded, so the match was cancelled: cause and consequence connect the propositions. |
| Discourse marker | Expression signalling relation or organizing the discourse | however=contrast; therefore=result; first/next=sequence; for example=illustration |

“I like apples. Therefore the moon is square” contains a connector but lacks a sensible inference: surface cohesion does not guarantee coherence.