Abstract

This paper deals with Donnellan's notion of the referential use of definite descriptions. First, I point out that Donnellan's examples in "Reference and Definite Descriptions" are almost exclusively those in which the speaker uses the description demonstratively. Secondly, however, I shall show that his notion need not be so restricted, and that referential use per se comprises the case of what I call "trace-based reference" -a kind of reference a speaker effects by calling the hearers' attention to the traces made by the intended referent. The rest of the paper will be devoted to the discussion of how one can explain and develop this notion.