This analysis uncovers how pronouns create ambiguity in communication, suggesting a unique rhetorical effect.
The communicator mentions something, and then later uses a personal pronoun or demonstrative pronoun to apparently refer back to that thing. However, something related but different is intended by the pronoun. This could be a different meaning of a homonym (semantic shift), or a related but distinct referent (referential shift). This ambiguity creates a rhetorical effect by playing on the listener’s assumption of continuity, only to redirect their interpretation.
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Mandar Marathe (2025) studied this question.
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