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Endophora is the use of a word or phrase in a text to refer to something within the immediate text. Endophora is the opposite of exophora (a word/phrase referring to something outside of the text).
An endophoric reference is a reference in a text to something else inside the text. For example:
If you want one, I've left some cupcakes on the counter.
In this example, 'one' is being used to refer to something later in the sentence, ‘cupcakes.’ We as readers fully understand the context because it is provided in the discourse. This contrasts with exophora, which leaves the readers without full context as to what is being referenced.
Endophoric references refer to things inside the text (Pixabay)
There are two primary types of endophora:
Anaphora and cataphora.
Let's look at each of these in more detail!
An anaphoric reference occurs when a word or phrase references a thing or idea mentioned earlier in the text or discourse.
Mary went out for drinks. She returned at 7 o'clock.
Here, the anaphoric reference is 'She'. As it is obvious that the pronoun 'she' refers to Mary, there was no need to repeat her name in the following sentence.
Linguistically, anaphora refers to the use of an expression that relies on another antecedent expression. In other words, it is an expression that can only be contextually understood by a prior expression (antecedent) in the text or discourse. Typically, an anaphor is a proform or used deictically. This means that it is often used to avoid repetition where the context is clear.
In the example above, the sentence 'She returned at 7 o'clock’ can only be understood when accompanied by the antecedent expression that came before it: 'Mary went out for drinks.'
When I looked at the dog, it barked at me and ran off.
'Dog' is the antecedent, 'it' is the anaphor.
John lied, and that upset his family.
John is the antecedent, 'that' is the anaphor. Without the first phrase 'John lied', the following phrase cannot be understood.
I was starving, and so was Sarah.
'I' is the antecedent, 'so' is the anaphor because the context of the first phrase is needed to understand the second phrase.
A cataphoric reference occurs when a word or phrase references a thing or idea mentioned later in the text/discourse.
The first example of an anaphoric reference given earlier was ‘Mary went out for drinks. She returned at 7 o'clock.’ The antecedent was Mary, and the anaphor was She.
Now, take this example:
Before she returned at 7 o'clock, Mary went out for drinks.
In this sentence, the pronoun ‘she’ is still referring to Mary, the subject. However, as 'she' is referencing the subject which is mentioned later in the sentence, ‘she’ is a cataphor.
By simply rearranging the sentence, the anaphor 'she' has become a cataphor, and the antecedent 'Mary' has now become the postcedent, as it is now after the pro-form (a word that substitutes another word).
Linguistically, cataphora is the use of an expression that relies on another postcedent expression to be contextually understood. In other words, cataphora is an expression that can only be understood when accompanied by another expression in the text/discourse that stands after it.
After she was sure of herself, the gymnast approached the pole.
'She' is the cataphor and 'gymnast' is the postcedent. We do not know who ‘she’ is until the second half of the sentence.
If they would like some, there are snacks in the next room.
'Some' is the cataphor, 'snacks' is the postcedent.
As he entered the room, the man caught everyone's attention.
'He' is the cataphor, 'man' is the postcedent.
To confirm whether a word or phrase is a cataphoric reference, ask yourself whether the word/phrase can be understood without the context of a postcedent. If it can, it is not a cataphore. If it cannot be fully understood without the additional context of a postcedent, then it is indeed a cataphor.
In literature, a cataphoric reference does not have to be a sentence with a cataphor and a postcedent. It could be an idea foreshadowed early on in the text that is then made clear by a revelation later in the text.
Study tip: The antecedent comes before the anaphor and the postcedent comes after the cataphor.
Endophora is the opposite of exophora. Endophora is the use of a word/phrase to refer to something within the immediate text.
An endophoric reference is a reference within a text to something inside the text.
There are two primary types of endophora: anaphora, cataphora.
An anaphoric reference occurs when a word or phrase makes reference to a thing or idea mentioned earlier in the text/discourse.
A cataphoric reference occurs when a word or phrase makes reference to a thing or idea mentioned later in the text/discourse.
An endophoric reference is a reference within a text to something inside the text.
An exophoric reference is a reference in a text to something outside of the text, while an endophoric reference is a reference in a text to something inside the text.
An anaphoric reference is when a word or phrase references a thing or idea mentioned earlier in the text/discourse.
A cataphoric reference is when a word or phrase references a thing or idea mentioned later in the text/discourse.
The two types of endophoric references are: anaphora and cataphora.
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