What does referent mean in communication? The referent is the object, situation, or event to which a symbol and/or sign refers. Its purpose is to communicate the relationship between the text and the larger reality (Beck et al., 2005).
What is a referent in human communication?
The Basics of Human Communication. The referent is the object, situation, or event to which a symbol and/or sign refers. Its purpose is to communicate the relationship between the text and the larger reality (Beck et al., 2005).
What is the meaning of referent in English?
A referent (/ˈrɛfərənt/) is a person or thing to which a name – a linguistic expression or other symbol – refers. For example, in the sentence Mary saw me, the referent of the word Mary is the particular person called Mary who is being spoken of, while the referent of the word me is the person uttering the sentence.
What is an example of a co referent?
Referent. Two expressions which have the same referent are said to be co-referential. In the sentence John had his dog with him, for instance, the noun John and the pronoun him are co-referential, since they both refer to the same person (John).
What is the meaning of referent in logic?
In logic, the word referent is sometimes used to denote one of the two objects participating in a relation, the other being called the relatum. In semantics and philosophy The triangle of reference, from Ogden and Richards' The Meaning of Meaning.
What do you mean by referent?
Definition of referent : one that refers or is referred to especially : the thing that a symbol (such as a word or sign) stands for. Other Words from referent Example Sentences Learn More About referent.
What are examples of referents?
In English grammar, a referent (REF-er-unt) is the person, thing, or idea that a word or expression denotes, stands for, or refers to. For example, the referent of the word door in the sentence "The black door is open" is a concrete object, a door—in this case, a specific black door.
What is another word for referent?
What is another word for referent?antecedentsignificatedenotationdesignatumtermthing
What are the types of referents?
There were two types of referents: faces and objects.
What is a referent group?
A referent group can be defined as any group that people see as a source of their identity. Our referent groups define a large part of who we are. Our primary referent group can be defined as a group that is the major source of our identity.
What is antecedent and referent?
In English grammar, an antecedent is the noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers to. Also known as a referent. More broadly, an antecedent may be any word in a sentence (or in a sequence of sentences) that another word or phrase refers to.
What is referent power in psychology?
Referent power is a form of reverence gained by a leader who has strong interpersonal relationship skills. Referent power, as an aspect of personal power, becomes particularly important as organizational leadership becomes increasingly about collaboration and influence and less about command and control.
What is another word for self referential?
In this page you can discover 10 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for self-referential, like: , self-reflexive, jejune, trite, parodic, formulaic, nonsensical, digressive, banal and reductive.
What is a referent in math?
A referent is an object that can be used to help estimate a measurement. From the earliest introduction to metric units, you have had experience relating non-standard and standard units of measurement. You have used referents to estimate the length of an object in centimetres, metres and millimetres.
What is referents to create coherence?
One way that writers create coherence between sentences in a paragraph is by using referents in each sentence to connect it to the paragraph's main idea. A referent can be any number of words or phrases that refer back to the main idea.
Referent Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
Referent definition, the object or event to which a term or symbol refers. See more.
Definition and Examples of Referents in English Grammar
"The most obvious meaning distinction in English relative clauses is between human and non-human referents.The forms who, whom, and whose are strongly associated with human or human-like entities, whereas which tends to be reserved for non-human entities." (George Yule, "Explaining English Grammar." Oxford University Press, 2009) "Relative pronouns have a double duty to perform: part pronoun ...
Referent - definition of referent by The Free Dictionary
2. referent - the first term in a proposition; the term to which other terms relate
Referent - Wikipedia
A referent (/ ˈ r ɛ f ə r ə n t /) is a person or thing to which a name – a linguistic expression or other symbol – refers.For example, in the sentence Mary saw me, the referent of the word Mary is the particular person called Mary who is being spoken of, while the referent of the word me is the person uttering the sentence.. Two expressions which have the same referent are said to be ...
REFERENT | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary
referent definition: 1. the person, thing, or idea that a word, phrase, or object refers to: 2. the person, thing, or…. Learn more.
What is a referent?
Referent. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jump to navigation Jump to search. Person or thing to which a linguistic expression or other symbol refers. A referent ( / ˈrɛfərənt /) is a person or thing to which a name – a linguistic expression or other symbol – refers.
What does "referent" mean in the dictionary?
The earliest meaning of referent recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary is "one who is referred to or consulted", dating from 1844. A subsequent meaning is "a word referring to another"; the OED gives only one citation for this use, dating from 1899 (which speaks of "referent words or referents" that express a relation).
What is the triangle of reference?
In semantics and philosophy. The triangle of reference, from Ogden and Richards' The Meaning of Meaning. In fields such as semantics, semiotics, and the theory of reference, a distinction is made between a referent and a reference. Reference is a relationship in which a symbol or sign (a word, for example) signifies something;
What is the meaning of "co-referential"?
Two expressions which have the same referent are said to be co-referential. In the sentence John had his dog with him, for instance, the noun John and the pronoun him are co-referential, since they both refer to the same person (John).
Why are references important in Perl?
Considerations of references and their referents are sometimes of importance in computing and programming. References play a role in the Perl programming language, for example, and the ref function is used to obtain the type of the referent of an object.
Where does the word "referent" come from?
The word referent may be considered to derive from the Latin referentem, the present participle (in accusative form) of the verb referre ("carry back", see also etymology of refer (ence) ); or simply from the addition of the suffix -ent to the verb refer on the model of other English words having that suffix. It is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "one that refers or is referred to; especially: the thing that a symbol (as a word or sign) stands for."
Is referent a psychological process?
Ogden has pointed out that reference is a psychological process, and that referents themselves may be psychological – existing in the imagination of the referrer, and not necessarily in the real world. For further ideas related to this observation, see failure to refer .
What is a referent in a sentence?
In English grammar, a referent (REF-er-unt) is the person, thing, or idea that a word or expression denotes, stands for, or refers to. For example, the referent of the word door in the sentence "The black door is open" is a concrete object, a door—in this case, a specific black door.
What is a reference word?
Referring words are words, such as pronouns, that point back to other items in a text ( anaphoric reference) or (less commonly) point ahead to a later part of the text ( cataphoric reference ).
What is a syntactic cue to pronominal reference?
A syntactic cue to pronominal reference is that pronouns tend to refer to objects in the same grammatical role (e.g., subject versus object ). Consider. Floyd punched Bert and then he kicked him. "Most people would agree that the subject he refers to Floyd and the object him refers to Bert . "3.
What are relative pronouns?
Relative Pronouns. Relative pronouns such as who and which can also help determine what is being referred to. "The most obvious meaning distinction in English relative clauses is between human and non-human referents.
What is Referent Power?
Referent power is a kind of power or influence that comes from being liked or admired. It cannot be forced or assigned. Specific to an organizational setting, people can hold referent power regardless of their titles, positions, or skill sets because referent power is relationally oriented.
Referent Power Example
Well-liked and respected, football player Patrick Mahomes has referent power.
What is referent power?
So, what is referent power exactly? And more specifically, what is referent power in leadership?
Why is referent power so important?
Referent power has the ability to unite team members and promote productivity. It can inspire employees to work toward a common goal.
How to use referent power
As with any type of power, you should consider how you can use referent power most effectively. Here's how to use referent power to motivate, inspire, and support your staff.
2 examples of referent power
These two leaders are excellent examples of how to build and use referent power effectively:
What is referent power to you?
What is referent power in leadership? Referent power is a unique type of personal power. It is built on respectful interpersonal relationships rather than manipulation or coercion.
What is referent power?
Referent power is about being sincerely interested in your employees. This means getting to know your employees and caring about what makes them tick. A little small talk about their weekend or family can go a long way to forging a deeper relationship that will inspire your team to work harder.
What are some examples of referent power?
The main source of referent power is the world of fame and popularity. For instance, Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock, inspires his fans to work on themselves – whether in the ring, on film, or simply by being himself.
Is referent power a formal power?
Referent power is never a formal type of power as it relies on the personal qualities of the leader. The followers admire these qualities and see the leader as a role model. They look up to him or her. In many situations, they consider what the leader would do in this case.

Overview
A referent is a person or thing to which a name – a linguistic expression or other symbol – refers. For example, in the sentence Mary saw me, the referent of the word Mary is the particular person called Mary who is being spoken of, while the referent of the word me is the person uttering the sentence.
Two expressions which have the same referent are said to be co-referential. In the sentence Joh…
Etymology and meanings
The word referent may be considered to derive from the Latin referentem, the present participle (in accusative form) of the verb referre ("carry back", see also etymology of refer(ence)); or simply from the addition of the suffix -ent to the verb refer on the model of other English words having that suffix. It is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "one that refers or is referred to; especially: the thing that a symbol (as a word or sign) stands for."
In semantics and philosophy
In fields such as semantics, semiotics, and the theory of reference, a distinction is made between a referent and a reference. Reference is a relationship in which a symbol or sign (a word, for example) signifies something; the referent is the thing signified. The referent may be an actual person or object, or may be something more abstract, such as a set of actions.
In syntax
Considerations of the possible arrangement of expressions which may be co-referential – having the same referent – have been undertaken by linguists engaged in the study of syntax, particularly since Noam Chomsky's launch of Government and Binding Theory (GBT) in the 1980s. The subject of binding is largely concerned with the possible syntactic positions of co-referential noun phrases and pronouns. Attempts are made to explain phenomena such as that illustrated by the followin…
In computing
Considerations of references and their referents are sometimes of importance in computing and programming. References play a role in the Perl programming language, for example, and the ref function is used to obtain the type of the referent of an object.
See also
• Referring expression – Noun phrase, or surrogate, functioning to identify some individual object
• Origo (pragmatics) – Reference point of a deictic expression in the context of pragmatics
• Language game (philosophy) – Words and contextual actions which provide a complete meaning
External links
• The dictionary definition of referent at Wiktionary
• SIL Glossary of Linguistic Terms: referent
Definition and Examples
Determiners
- Determiners such as articles the and a come into play with determining what's being referred to, as well as pronouns such as this and those. "The definite article the indicates that the referent(i.e., whatever is referred to) is assumed to be known by the speaker and the person being spoken to (or addressee). "The indefinite article a or an makes it clear that the referent is one member of a …
Interpreting Pronouns
- Pronouns in the sentence help determine the referent, though context plays a part as well. If the context is confusing because of unclear references, it's best to recast the sentence. "[An] aspect of processing reference concerns the interpretation of pronouns... As Just and Carpenter (1987) noted, there are a number of bases for resolving the reference of pronouns: 1. "1. One of the mo…
Relative Pronouns
- Relative pronouns such as who and whichcan also help determine what is being referred to. "The most obvious meaning distinction in English relative clauses is between human and non-human referents. The forms who, whom, and whose are strongly associated with human or human-like entities, whereas which tends to be reserved for non-human entities." (George Yule, "Explaining E…