Deictic expressions are a crucial aspect of both semantics and pragmatics as they effectively convey and aid in understanding meaning. But what exactly do deictic expressions entail?
Deictic expressions refer to words or phrases used to indicate the speaker's location, time, and situation at the time of speaking. The word "deictic" comes from the Greek word δεικτικός (deiktikos), meaning 'capable of proof'.
Personal pronouns, demonstratives, verbs, and adverbs are all examples of deictic expressions. For instance, the phrase "I am here" contains the deictic words 'I' (personal pronoun) and 'here' (adverb of place), indicating the speaker and their location.
The phrase "I am here now" not only tells us who and where, but also when, using the adverb 'now'. Similarly, in the phrase "I am going to the cinema", the personal pronoun 'I' and the location 'the cinema' are included, but the exact time is not specified. However, we can infer from the present continuous tense that the speaker will be going in the near future.
Traditionally, deictic expressions fall into three categories:
Personal deictics, such as 'I, we' and 'you', commonly refer to the speakers and listeners in a conversation. On the other hand, third-person deictics like 'he, she' and 'they' include individuals who are not speaking but are part of the conversation.
Spatial deictic expressions show the proximity or distance of the speaker and participants. Examples include demonstratives like 'this / that' and adverbs like 'here / there'.
Temporal deictic expressions indicate the time of speaking and include words like 'until, last night, tomorrow'.
Examples C, D, and E illustrate personal, spatial, and temporal deictic expressions, respectively.
In the phrase "Are you going to join me?", the personal deictics 'I', 'you', and 'me' are used, along with the temporal deixis 'going to', indicating a future action.
The phrase "We arrived here last night, I think he will join us tomorrow" contains temporal deixis ('last night' and 'tomorrow'), spatial deixis ('here'), and personal deixis ('we', 'I', 'he', 'us').
"I'll be staying at this hotel until tomorrow" not only utilizes spatial deixis ('this hotel'), but also showcases a subcategory called Proximal Deixis. This expression informs us of something close or near to the speaker, using words like 'this, here, now'.
Proximal Deixis indicates something that is close to the speaker, such as in the phrase "This is my dog here", where the speaker is referring to the physical proximity of their dog.
The opposite of Proximal Deixis is Distal Deixis, referring to something that is distant from the speaker. For example, "It's that tree over there" uses the adverb 'there' to indicate the distance from the speaker.
In addition to the traditional deictic categories of time, place, and person, linguists have suggested three additional types of deictic expressions:
These categories fall under the umbrella of "marginal" deictic expressions.
Marginal Deictic Expressions are further divided into social, discourse, and emotional categories. Social deixis is used to indicate social or professional status, as seen in different forms of second-person pronouns in many languages. For example, using 'du' (informal) or 'Sie' (formal) in German.
In conclusion, deictic expressions are an essential part of language use and play a vital role in conveying and understanding meaning.
Understanding the various forms of deictic expressions is crucial in comprehending and analyzing language in different contexts.
In different languages, there are specific forms of address used to indicate formality and familiarity. For example, in French, the forms 'tu' (informal) and 'vous' (formal) are used, while in Italian, the forms 'tu' and 'Lei' are used. In Japanese, there are seven different forms of address based on social status, including equal status, higher status, junior status, senior colleagues, professionals/academics, children, and babies.
Formality and familiarity can also be expressed in English through other means, such as forms of address, terms of endearment, and formal or informal language. For instance, a student or colleague may address a lecturer as "Professor" and offer them tea, while a relative or friend may simply ask, "Tea, dear?" The use of the endearment "dear" shows the level of closeness or familiarity, while the title "professor" indicates respect and formality.
Honorifics, which are terms used to show respect towards someone of social, professional, or academic status, are present in many languages. Some examples of honorifics include "Your Grace", "Your Excellency", "Mr. President", "Doctor", and "Maestro". The use of honorifics may vary depending on the situation. For instance, a personal aide may say, "Mr. President, your car is here", while a colleague may remind a visiting lecturer, "The conference will be starting in a few minutes, Dr. Lewes".
In cultures like Japanese, there are multiple grammatical functions for expressing politeness, respect, humility, and formality. In Japanese, there are three levels of politeness - plain, polite, and formal - and for each level, there are two forms of respect, known as "sonkeigo" or "respect" language, and "kenjōgo" or "humble" language.
Depending on the degree of formality or familiarity, the use of honorifics, such as in the examples of "May I offer you some tea, professor?" and "Tea, dear?", may vary. For instance, a student may use terms like "-san" or "-sensei" after a professor's family name, while a wife or partner may use "anata" (meaning "you") or the first name followed by "-chan" instead of "-san".
Discourse deixis, also known as Text Deixis, refers to the use of deictic expressions to refer to something mentioned in the same conversation or text. For example, after finishing a great story, you may show it to a friend and say, "This is an amazing book". In this case, "this" refers to the book you are talking about.
Similarly, if someone mentions a movie they saw earlier, you may say, "That was a brilliant film" if you have also seen it. In this case, "that" is used to refer back to the movie that was mentioned earlier, instead of using "this".
Some examples of discourse deictic expressions include "earlier", "later", "the preceding months", "the following weeks", "in the following paragraphs", "during next month", and "in the next chapter".
According to philosopher HP Lyons, an expression can be both deictic and anaphoric at the same time. For instance, they say, "I was born in London, and I have lived here/there all my life". Here, "here" and "there" refer back to London, making them anaphoric. At the same time, they also function as deictics to indicate whether the speaker currently lives in London or not.
Discourse deixis may sometimes be confused with anaphora, which involves the use of personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, and pro-verbs like "do" to refer back to a previously mentioned subject. For instance, in the sentence, "Max is a great painter; he's won awards", "he" is used as an anaphoric pronoun to refer back to Max.
Another example is, "Look at this painting; this is my favorite one". Here, "this" refers to the painting, making it anaphoric.
Note: Discourse deixis includes all expressions or phrases that guide the reader through a text or conversation, especially when referring back to something already mentioned.
Deictic gestures are used to clarify or explain an utterance. For instance, someone may say, "I sprained my ankle", while pointing to their ankle. This clarifies which ankle they are referring to.
When someone says, "I sprained this ankle" while gesturing towards their right ankle, it becomes instantly clear which ankle they are referring to. This is a classic example of gestural deixis, where gestures are used to indicate specific objects or people.But gestural deixis is not limited to just pointing. In fact, visual cues are not always necessary in gestural deixis. A simple reference to a basic space or time is enough to convey the intended meaning. For example, the statement "I often go to that city" implies that the speaker is referring to a specific city, as they use the word "that" to place emphasis.Another type of deixis is emotional deixis, also known as Empathetic Discourse. This involves the speaker's emotional connection to the subject being discussed, whether it is close or distant. Emotional deixis is often indicated by words such as "this" (close), "that" (distant), and verbs associated with emotions like "like," "love," "hate," "dislike," and "adore." For instance, an artist named Max may say, "This is my favorite painting," showing his strong emotional connection to the artwork. However, if Max encounters a random badger in his kitchen causing a mess, his response would likely be "Get that badger out of the kitchen!" Here, "that" takes the place of "this" and reflects Max's emotional distance from the badger.It's worth noting that the emotional connotations of "this" and "that" can change, as linguist Charles Fillmore points out. For example, someone can say "I love that place" with a positive connotation, whereas the same statement with a negative connotation would be "I hate that place."To summarize, here are some key takeaways about deictic expressions:- Deictic expressions indicate the location, time, and/or situation of the speaker at the time of speaking.- They often include personal pronouns, demonstratives, verbs, and adverbs.- There are three traditional types of deictic expressions: personal, temporal, and spatial.- Spatial or local deictics can be proximal (near the speaker) or distal (far from the speaker).- There are also three marginal categories of deictic expressions: social, discourse, and emotional.- Fillmore suggests two types of deictic pointing: gestural and symbolic.
Deictic expressions are an essential part of the English language. They are words or phrases that indicate the location, time, or condition of the speaker, providing crucial context and adding depth to the meaning of a sentence.
There are three main types of deictic expressions:- Personal: refers to the speaker (e.g. pronouns like "I" or "you")- Temporal: refers to time (e.g. adverbs like "now" or "later")- Spatial: refers to space (e.g. demonstratives like "here" or "there")
The term "deictic" serves as an adjective to describe words or phrases related to location, time, or a person. For example, the sentence "I am here" utilizes the deictic terms "I" and "here" to specify the who and the where.
In simpler terms, deictic expressions are words or phrases that pinpoint a person, location, or time in a given context, representing the "who," "where," and "when."
"Deictic expression" and "deictic element" are interchangeable terms used to describe words or phrases that provide crucial context to a sentence, revealing the underlying meanings of location, time, and person.
