Co-reference Layer

Description

different mentions of the same entity

Rules

We tag any mention of an entity already introduced in the text using alternative terms, names, titles, or pronouns (e.g., “he” or “this city”). Synonymous terms, descriptions, or titles that refer to the initial entity are included as co-references (e.g., “da Vinci” as a co-reference to “Leonardo da Vinci” or “the painting” after the introduction of “Mona Lisa”). Generic terms that lack specificity (e.g., “the work” when it could refer to several works of art) are excluded.

Examples

Co-references can be found in both the metadata layer and the content layer, as in Franz von Stuck's Adam and Eve (c. 1920). In the metadata layer, von Stuck is later referred to as the “painter prince”:

It has grown out of the pitch-black mental states of

Co-reference Franz von Stuck

. […] Sin, lust, decadence—the current state in which Munich's

Co-reference painter prince

finds himself is visualised here symbolically.

In the content layer of the same example, co-references link people to their pronouns:

The red-haired woman gazes longingly at

Co-reference Adam

from the shadows. […]

Co-reference His

gesture points back at her body.

However, co-references can also refer to works of art, in this example from the National Gallery of Art:

Among the 12 works was the National Gallery's

Co-reference Japanese Footbridge

. […] More telling, the impenetrable green enclosure—heightened the National Gallery

Co-reference painting

by the placement of the top of the bridge's arch […]