Optimal interpretation of anaphora

The main point of this talk will be that the constraints
that interact in determining the interpretation of 
anaphora, must be soft in nature, i.e., violable and
potentially conflicting. One constraint that plays
an important part in interpretation is a pragmatic
constraint that favours anaphorization of text. This 
principle accounts for the fact that there is a 
general preference to interpret linguistic elements
as anaphors. Tenses are similar in their preference
for anaphoric interpretations. We argue that the 
framework of Optimality Theory provides a suitable
means for constructing the proper set of possible
interpretations of nominal, verbal as well as temporal
anaphora.