PRAGMATICS

Deixis and Distance

Compiled by :
Group 2
EZRA PAKPAHAN
M. SAUKIL ADIP
SEPTRI LOLITA AMBARITA

SEKOLAH TINGGI ILMU BAHASA ASING (STIBA)

YAYASAN PENDIDIKAN PERSADA BUNDA
PEKANBARU
2019
What is deixis?

Deixis is a technical term (form Greek) for one of the most basic things we do with utterances. It means
pointing via languages. Any linguistic form used to accomplish this ‘pointing’ is called a “deictic
expression.

Definition of deixis from some experts :

- It concerns on the interpretation of utterances depends on the analysis of that context of utterance
(Levinson, 1983:54)

- The deictic devices in a language commit a speaker to set up a frame of reference around herself
(Saaed, 1997:173)

So the meanings of deixis are :

 It is a technical term from (Greek) from one of the most basic things we do with utterances,
which means “pointing” via language.
 Used to accomplish this “pointing”.
 Deictic expression are meaningful in a given context.
 To be interpreted correctly, the speaker and listener have to share the same context.
 They are particularly useful in face to face communication.
Types of Deixis :

- Person Deixis :
Person deixis clearly operates on a basic three-part division, exemplified by the pronouns for first person
(‘I’), second person (‘you’), and third person (‘he, she, or it’).
A fairly well-known example of a social contrast encoded within person deixis is the distinction between
forms used for a familiar versus a non-familiar addressee in some languages.
 Pronouns
The first( my, mine)
Second person( your, yours) are deitic ( reference to the speaking person)

 Definite and specific pronouns ( this, that, those, these).

 Indefinite and specific pronouns (somebody, something, who, what).
 Indefinite and non specific pronouns ( someone, something, nobody, nothing).

- Spatial/Space/Place Deixis
The concept of distance already mentioned is clearly relevant to spatial deixis, where the relative location
of people and things is being indicated. Contemporary English makes use of only two adverbs, ‘here’ and
‘there’. Although ‘yonder’ (more distant from speaker) is still used , words like ‘hither’ (to this place) and
‘thence’ (from that place). One version of the concept of motion toward speaker (i.e, becoming visible),
seems to be the first deictic meaning learned by children and characterizes their use of words like ‘this’
and ‘here’ (=can be seen)
Example : the situation is two hundred yards from the collage

They are distinct from ‘that’ and ‘there’ which are associated with things that move out of the child’s
visual space (=can no longer be seen)

Example : I enjoy living in this apartment

In considering spatial deixis, however, it is important to remember that location from the speaker’s
perspective can be fixed mentally as well as physically.
 - Temporal/Time Deixis

We have already noted the use of the proximal form ‘now’ as indicating both the time coinciding with the
speaker’s utterance and the time of the speaker’s voice being heard (the hearer’s ‘now’. In contrast to
‘now’, the distal expression ‘then’ applies to both past and future time relative to the speaker’s present
time.

Example: - November 22nd, 1963? I was in Scotland then.

- Dinner at 8.30 on Saturday? Okay, I’ll see you then.

However, these forms of temporal reference are learned a lot later than the deictic expressions
like ‘yesterday’, ‘tomorrow’, ‘today’, ‘tonight’, ‘last week’, ‘this week’. All these expressions
depend for their interpretation on knowing the relevant utterance time.

- Discourse Deixis
Deictic reference to a portion of a discourse relative to the speaker’s current “location” in the
discourse.
Example :
Teacher : spell “mouse:
Student : M-O-U-S.
Teacher: but whats’the end of it?
Student: a tail

- Social Deixis :
Reference to the social characteristics of, or distinctions between, the participants or referents in a
speech event
Example : The distinction, found in many Indo-European languages, between familiar and polite
second person pronouns is an expression of social deixis.

Using Deixis :
For example, the sentence, “you’ll have to bring that back tomorrow, because they aren’t here”,
out of the context will be quite unintelligible. Because this sentence contain large number of
certain expressions (Deixis) which depend for their interpretation on the immediate physical
context in which they are uttered.
 References

George Yule, The study of language, Third edition, Cambridge University Press, Page 9-14

Peter Grundy, Doing Pragmatics, Third edition, Hodder Education, Page 22-25