Unit 2 - Deixis
Unit 2 - Deixis
◦ who is speaking
◦ the time or place of speaking
◦ the gestures of the speaker
◦ the current location in the discourse
2. Types of deixis
qPERSON DEIXIS: Any expression used to point to a
person (me, you, him, them) is an example of
PERSON DEIXIS.
qSPACE/SPATIAL/PLACE DEIXIS: Words used to point
to a location (here, there) are examples of PLACE
DEIXIS.
qTIME/TEMPORAL DEIXIS: The expression used to
point to a time ( now, then, tonight, last week,
yesterday) are examples of TIME DEIXIS.
q DISCOURSE DEIXIS: any expression used to refer
to earlier or forthcoming segments of the
discourse: in the previous/next paragraph, or
Have you heard this joke?
q SOCIAL DEIXIS: honorifics (forms to show
respect such as Professor John).
2.1. Person Deixis
qa speech event includes at least two persons:
– first person = speaker
– second person = addressee
q If the two persons do not only refer to themselves while
talking, there is a third person ( = the person they are talking
about), that does not have to take part in the conversation.
qUsually the third person is not grammatically marked,
because the only two persons of importance are the first
person (speaker = most important) and the second person
(addressee = less important).
qonly in English: the suffix (-s) for the third person.
qThe traditional category of plural is not symmetrically
applied to first person (we) in the way it is to the third (they)
– In addition there are two first person `plural` pronouns,
corresponding to `we-inclusive-of-addressee` and `we-
exclusive-of-addressee`:
Eg: Let’s go to the cinema. = `we-inclusive-of-addressee`
Let’s go to see you tomorrow. =`we-exclusive-of-addressee`
(Levinson :1983)
Person Deixis
◦ Pronouns:
◦ grammatical category for a person: personal pronouns
– All languages have personal pronouns or at least words, that refer to
the participants of the speech act.
◦ The pronouns of the first (I-my-mine) and second person (you- your-
yours) are deictic:
– reference to the speaking person.
ØIt is also possible to have deictic pronouns for the third person.
ØDefinite and specific pronouns: this, that, those, or these. Indefinite
and specific pronouns: somebody , something , who, what.
ØIndefinite and non-specific pronouns: someone , something , nobody,
nothing.
2.2. Place Deixis
qconcerns the locations relative to anchorage points in the speech event (speaker = centre),
qtwo basic ways of referring to objects: by describing or naming them and by locating them,
qlocations can be specified relative to other objects:
Eg: – The station is two hundred yards from the college.
qlocations can be specified relative to the location of participants;
Eg: – It's two hundred yards away.
q Some pure place-deictic words: here and there (adverbs); this and that (demonstrative
pronouns);
=> symbolic usage of here = pragmatically given unit of space that includes the location of the
speaker;
Eg: – I'm writing to say I'm having a marvellous time here.
qAdverbs: here and there = contrast on a proximal/distal dimension;
– here = proximal (near); there = distal ( more distant) Bring that here and take this there.
qDemonstrative pronouns are more clearly organized in a proximal/distal dimension.
qthis = the object in a pragmatically given area close to the speaker's
location,
qthat = the object beyond the pragmatically given area close to the
speaker's location,
qsome languages have demonstratives with 3 and 4 way distinctions on
the proximal-distal dimension;
q( North West American language Tlingit) – demonstratives distinguish
between
– this one right here
– this on nearby
– that one over there
– that one way over there
qDirections: to the left from; to the right from
q motion verbs = signs of place deixis
– come vs. go makes distinction between the direction of
motion
Eg: + He's coming = he is moving towards the speaker's
location.
+ He's going = he is moving away from the speaker's location.
+ I'm coming = the speaker is moving towards the location of
the addressee.
– come = movement towards either the location of the
speaker, or towards the location of the addressee.
2.3. Time Deixis