the information status of a referent in discourse is a characterization of how the interlocutors identify an individual as the intended referent of a referring phrase. Information status represents a subdivision of the information packaging - function of reference: a more fine-grained means to pick out the referent. Examples: some examples of information status categories are active, semi-active, inactive, and other categories listed in the third column of Table 3.4. (Section 3.2)