The Paraphrase Relation

The paraphrase relation is the acknowledged subject of the present work. Subsequent chapters can be read as merely the development of the tools necessary for the characterization of the paraphrase relation in a given language. The linguist’s involvement with the paraphrase relation of a language consists of three activities. He must first gather data about paraphrase, that is, he must gather paraphrases from native speakers of the language. He must then sort out the paraphrases which promise to yield patterns from those which seem highly individual.