In linguistics, anaphora is an instance of an expression referring to another. In general, an anaphoric expression is represented by a pronoun or some kind of deictic.

The strict definition of anaphora includes only references to preceding utterances. Under this definition, forward references are instead named cataphora, and both effects together are endophora. Also, the term exophora names situations where the referent does not appear in the utterances of the speaker, but instead in the real world.

Some linguists prefer to define anaphora generically to include all of these referential effects.

Examples

The monkey took the banana and ate it. "It" is anaphora under the strict definition (it refers to the banana).

Pam went home because she felt sick. "She" is anaphora (it refers to Pam)

What is this?. "This" can be considered exophora (it refers to some object near the speaker).