Pragmatics: Deixis and Distance

PRAGMATICS
Chapter II
DEIXIS AND DISTANCE
Group 1 Class 07.1.E8:
Nguyễn Thị Mai Anh
Trần Thị Thu Chang
Lê Thị Hồng Duyên
Lê Thị Thu Hương
Trần Thị Hải
Nguyễn Thị Hiền
www.themegallery.com
Chapter 02: DEIXIS AND DISTANCE
CONTENTS
1 Definition of deixis
2 Features of deixis
3 Types of deixis
4 Deixis and grammar
I. DEFINITION OF DEIXIS
Oxford Dictionary of George Yule
Literary Terms:
Deixis, a term used in
linguistics to denote those Deixis is a technical
aspects of an utterance that term (from Greek) for
refer to and depend upon the
situation in which the utterance
one of the most basic
is made. things we do with
utterances. It means
Deictic words indicate the ‘pointing’ via language.
situational ‘coordinates’ of Any linguistic form used
person (I/you, us/them), place
(here/there, this/that), and time
to accomplish this
(now/then, yesterday/ today) “pointing” is called
deictic expression.
I. DEFINITION OF DEIXIS
• Examples:
The use of demonstratives (this, that), first
and second person pronouns (I, you),
tense specific time and place adverbs
(now, here), and a variety of other
grammatical features.
II. THE FEATURES OF DEIXIS
- Deixis means “pointing” or “indicating" (from

Greek)
- Deixis concerns the ways in which languages

express features of the context of utterance or
speech event in a different way.
- Deictic information are important for the

interpretation of utterance.
III. TYPES OF DEIXIS
Spatial deixis
Temporal deixis
Personal deixis
Discoursal deixis
Social deixis
1. SPATIAL DEIXIS
Definition: Spatial deixis (place deixis) concerns to the
locations of the speaker and addressee or those of persons
or objects being referred to.
E.g. The shop is across the street.
Division of spatial deixis:
Spatial - Proximal form: near or closer` to the speaker (e.g. here)
- Distal form: far from the speaker or closer to the addressee
deixis (e.g. there)
Markers of spatial deixis:
- Adverbs: here = proximal (near), there = distal (more distant)
E.g. Bring that here and take this there
- Demonstrative pronouns are more clearly organized in a
proximal / distal dimension. E.g. This & that
- Other examples: up, down, north, south, inside, outside, top,
bottom, etc.
1. SPATIAL DEIXIS
• Notes
- Some verbs of motion have a deictic sense:
+ Come (movement towards the speaker)
+ Go (movement away from the speaker)
- Come vs. Go: distinction between the direction of
motion.
1. He's coming (he is moving towards the speaker's location)
2. He's going. (he is moving away from the speaker's location
1. SPATIAL DEIXIS
• Notes
- Come = movement towards the location of the addressee
E.g. I'm coming
=> the speaker is moving towards the location of the addressee
Location from speaker’s perspective does not always mean

physical location. Sometimes it refers to mental location.
Location from speaker’s perspective can be fixed mentally as
well as physically.
Deictic projection:
E.g. I’m not here now. (telephone recorded message)
2. TEMPORAL DEIXIS
- the expression used to point to a

Definition time
E.g. yesterday, today, this week….
- Proximal form: ‘now”: the time

coinciding with the speaker’s utterance
Division and the time of the speaker’s voice being
heard.
- Distal form: ‘then – time relative to
www.themegallery.com the speaker’s present time
2. TEMPORAL DEIXIS
- Tenses (choice of verb tense):

+ Proximal form: present tense
+ Distal form: past tense
E.g.: I live here now. (proximal form)
I lived there then.( distal form)
(According to George Yule, Pragmatics, p. 14)
2. TEMPORAL DEIXIS
Tense:
- Absolute tense: refers immediately to the time of
the speaker's utterance: simple past, simple
present
- Relative tenses: refer to other tenses: past
perfect: event refers to another event, that
happens afterwards
( According to DR. Shadia Y. Banjar (Pragmatics: Deixis

and Distance, p.13)
2. TEMPORAL DEIXIS
• Notes
- Calendar time (dates) and clock time (hours) are
forms of non-deictic temporal reference.
E.g. at 9.30 on Saturday, October 2nd.....
- Something that is treated as extremely unlikely or
impossible from the speaker’s current situation is
also marked via the distal (past tense) form.
E.g.: I could travel around the world ( if I had a lot
of money).
3. PERSONAL DEIXIS
Personal
deixis
Definition: Any
Markers: I, you, we,
expression used to
he, she, it, they
point to a person
Division:
+ Proximal forms: I, you
+ Distal forms: He, she, it
3. PERSONAL DEIXIS
- First person pronouns: -> speaker
- Second person pronouns: ->addressee
- Third person pronouns
person
The use of deictic

-Gender: he,she devices to reflect facts
-Number: I, we Personal about the social
he, she,it deixis relationship of the
social
gender &
you relations participants is a
number distinct type of deixis,
commonly referred to
as a social deixis
4. SOCIAL DEIXIS
1 2
concerns those aspects “tu” and “vous” in French

+ Tu: the higher, older,
of language structure more powerful
that encode the social -> use to the lower,
identities of younger addressee
participants, or the + Vous: the lower,
social relationship younger, less powerful
=> use the higher, older
between them addressee
Definition Example
4. SOCIAL DEIXIS
USAGES
Example
In East Asia are In Spanish:
concern in all
known for having + Como se llama
those examples
several levels of (usted)? a polite
the relation
politeness, based way of asking
between the
on the social second person’s
speaker and the
difference name.
addressee,
between the + Come te llamas
especially the
persons (tú)? a plain way
different
concerned. of asking second
countries.
person’s name
5. DISCOURSAL DEIXIS
Definition Usages Examples

- is self – explicit in that - For textual coherence First, next, To begin
it is used primarily in a - As a procedural with
discourse unit and for indicators
discoursal purpose.
5 Discoursal Deixis
Definition
- is self – explicit in that it is used primarily in a
discourse unit and for discoursal purpose.
- Also called text deixis.

- Concerns the use of expression referring to apart
of the discourse:
☻the former or the latter
☻demonstrative
☻3rd pronoun
►the
►the former
former or
or the
the latter:
latter:
①the former: to begin with, first, in the previous (

preceding) chapter, etc
E.g.: First, I like this boy most
②the latter: next, in the following (next)
paragraph, last but not at least, etc
E.g.: In the next part, we will discuss
about global warming
►demonstrative : this, that, these, those, there, etc.

►demonstrative
E.g.:
01. I bet you haven’t heard this joke.
( this: refer to a forth coming portion of discourse )
02. That was the funniest story I ‘ve ever heard.
( that : refer to a preceding portion)
03. There is a nice point to discuss in class.
( this comment is made in reference to a point already made )
● Look at this book ! ( this :spatial deixis)
►3rd
►3rd pronoun
pronoun
:him, her, them, etc.
E.g.: John hit Bill, and then Gorge hit HIM ↗
HIM = John ( stressed and high pitch )
However, John hit Bill, and then Gorge hit him↘

him = Bill → anaphora ( unstressed and low pitch)
“Deixis is a linguistic means for achieving focusing of the hearer’ attention towards
a specific item which is part of the respective deictic space” ( Ehlich, 1825:325)
“Anaphora is a linguistic means for having the hearer continue a previously
established focus towards a specific item on which he had oriented his attention
earlier” ( Ehlich, 1825:330)
● deixis may well be realized via gesture or a high pitch accent
II.DEIXIS AND GRAMMAR
• The basic distinctions for person, spatial, and

temporal deixis can be seen in English grammar
are presented in direct and indirect speech.
(DR. Shadia Y. Banjar 22)
E.g. Are you planning to be here this evening?

(DIRECT SPEECH)
I asked her if she was planning to be there
that evening. (INDIRECT SPEECH)
II.DEIXIS AND GRAMMAR
NOTES
- The proximal forms will be shifted to the corresponding
distal forms.
- The proximal deictic forms of a direct speech give the
sense of being in the same context as the utterance.
- The distal deictic forms of an indirect speech give the
sense of being remote as the original speech event.
- The regular difference in English reported discourse
marks a distinction between the ‘near speaker’ meaning
of direct speech and the ‘away from speaker’ meaning of
indirect speech.
REFERENCES
1. George Yule, (1996), Pragmatics, Oxford University

Press, Chapter 2, p.10-p.15.
2. Shadia Y. Banjar, Pragmatics: Deixis and Distance.
3. Website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deixis#Place
EXERCISE
Identify the types of deixis used in the following song:
Heal The World

There's a place in your heart and I know that it is love
And this place could be much brighter than tomorrow
And if you really try, you'll find there's no need to cry
In this place, you'll feel there's no hurt or sorrow
There are ways to get there, if you care enough for the living,
make a little space, make a better place
Heal the world, make it a better place for you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying, if you care enough for the living, make a better place for you and for me
If you want to know why there's a love that cannot lie
Love is strong, it only cares of joyful giving
If we try, we shall see in this bliss we cannot feel fear or dread
We stop existing and start living.
Then it feels that always love's enough for us growing

So make a better world, make a better world
ANSWER
There's a place in your heart and I know that it is love
Discoursal Personal Personal Personal
And this place could be much brighter than tomorrow

Spatial Temporal
And if you really try, you'll find there's no need to cry

Personal Personal Discoursal
In this place, you'll feel there's no hurt or sorrow

Spatial Personal Discoursal
There are ways to get there, if you care enough for the living, make a
Discoursal Spatial Personal
little space, make a better place
ANSWER
Heal the world, make it a better place for you and for me and the entire human race
Personal Personal Personal
There are people dying, if you care enough for the living,
make a better place for you and for me
Discoursal/ Personal/ Personal/ Personal
If you want to know why there's a love that cannot live
Personal Discoursal
Love is strong, it only cares of joyful giving

Personal
If we try, we shall see in this bliss we cannot feel fear or dread
Personal/ temporal/personal/ Discoursal/ Personal
We stop existing and start living.
Personal/ temporal/ temporal
Then it /feels that always love's enough for us growing
Personal/ temporal Personal
So make a better world, make a better world
Discoursal
L/O/G/O
THANK YOU
FOR LISTENING!

Pragmatics: Deixis and Distance

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PRAGMATICS

4 Deixis and grammar

- Deixis means “pointing” or “indicating" (from

- Deixis concerns the ways in which languages

- Deictic information are important for the

Location from speaker’s perspective does not always mean

- the expression used to point to a

- Proximal form: ‘now”: the time

- Tenses (choice of verb tense):

( According to DR. Shadia Y. Banjar (Pragmatics: Deixis

The use of deictic

concerns those aspects “tu” and “vous” in French

Definition Usages Examples

- Also called text deixis.

①the former: to begin with, first, in the previous (

►demonstrative : this, that, these, those, there, etc.

● Look at this book ! ( this :spatial deixis)

However, John hit Bill, and then Gorge hit him↘

• The basic distinctions for person, spatial, and

E.g. Are you planning to be here this evening?

1. George Yule, (1996), Pragmatics, Oxford University

Heal The World

Then it feels that always love's enough for us growing

And this place could be much brighter than tomorrow

And if you really try, you'll find there's no need to cry

In this place, you'll feel there's no hurt or sorrow

Love is strong, it only cares of joyful giving

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