1. Deixis: core idea and definition

Deixis (from Greek deiknynai, “to point/show”) is the property of certain linguistic expressions whose interpretation depends systematically on the speech situation (the “deictic center”). Deictic expressions point to elements of context—typically the speaker, addressee, time, place, discourse segment, or social relations—rather than naming them independently.

A standard way to state it:

  • Deictic expressions have a constant conventional meaning (e.g., “the speaker,” “the time of utterance,” “a proximal location”), but their referent/value shifts from one context of utterance to another.

Example

  • “I am here now.”

    • “I” = the current speaker

    • “here” = the speaker’s location at utterance time

    • “now” = the utterance time
      Change speaker/time/location, and the referents change even if the sentence is identical.

2. The deictic center and context parameters

A deictic center is the default “origo” (vantage point) from which deictic expressions are anchored. In unmarked conversation, the center is usually:

  • Speaker (for person deixis)

  • Speaker’s location (for place deixis)

  • Time of speaking (for time deixis)

  • Current discourse point (for discourse deixis)

  • Speaker’s social position/attitude (for social deixis)

Many deictic systems are structured by contrasts such as:

  • proximal vs distal (“this/that,” “here/there”)

  • speaker-oriented vs addressee-oriented (languages may encode “near me” vs “near you”)

  • present vs non-present (tense and temporal adverbs)

3. Types of deixis 

3.1 Person deixis

Person deixis encodes participant roles in the speech event: speaker, addressee, and others.

  • First person: speaker (“I,” “me,” “we”)

  • Second person: addressee (“you”)

  • Third person: non-participant (“he,” “she,” “they”)—often treated as less purely deictic, but can be deictic when dependent on context/salience.

Examples

  • “I don’t agree with you.” (speaker vs addressee)

  • “We are leaving now.” (“we” may be inclusive or exclusive depending on language and context; in English it is resolved pragmatically.)

  • In a meeting: “She will present next.” (“she” is identified via contextual salience: who is the relevant female participant.)

Key pragmatic point: person deixis is tied to role shifting. If a different person utters “I,” the referent changes.

3.2 Place (spatial) deixis

Place deixis locates entities relative to the deictic center, often via demonstratives and adverbs.

  • Demonstratives: “this/that,” “these/those”

  • Adverbs: “here/there,” “up/down,” “left/right” (often context-dependent)

  • Motion verbs: “come/go” (anchored to speaker/addressee location and discourse perspective)

Examples

  • “Put that there.”

    • “that” = distal object (away from deictic center)

    • “there” = distal location

  • “Come to my office.”

    • “come” generally implies motion toward the deictic center (speaker’s location, or a perspective adopted as ‘home base’).

  • On the phone: “I’m coming now.”

    • Interpretation depends on which location is treated as the goal (speaker’s vs addressee’s location, or a mutually understood meeting point).

Important note: spatial deixis is not purely geometric; it is shaped by attention, shared orientation, and communicative goals.

3.3 Time (temporal) deixis

Time deixis situates events relative to the utterance time (or another reference time), using tense and temporal adverbs.

  • Adverbs: “now,” “then,” “today,” “tomorrow,” “yesterday”

  • Tense/aspect: present/past/future; perfect/progressive, etc.

Examples

  • “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

    • “tomorrow” = the day after the utterance date.

  • “She left yesterday.”

    • “yesterday” = the day before the utterance date.

  • “Now I understand.”

    • “now” anchors the state of understanding to utterance time; in narratives, “now” can shift (see Section 4 on projection).

Temporal deixis often interacts with discourse structure:

  • “then” can mean “at that time in the story” rather than “not-now” in the literal present.

4. Psychological projection (deictic projection): shifting the deictic center

4.1 Definition

Psychological projection (also called deictic projection) is the phenomenon where the speaker conceptually relocates the deictic center away from the actual here-and-now of the speech event to another vantage point. The language then behaves as if that projected vantage point were the center.

Projection is common in:

  • narrative (adopting a character’s viewpoint)

  • reported speech/thought

  • telephone and mediated interaction

  • spatial guidance and route instructions

  • empathy and stance-taking (aligning with another’s perspective)

5. Additional illustrative contrasts 

5.1 Demonstratives: “this” vs “that”

  • “this” often signals proximity, current focus, or speaker alignment.

  • “that” often signals distance, reduced involvement, or already-established content.

Examples

  • Physical: “Take this pen, not that one.”

  • Discourse: “This is my main point. That is a minor detail.”

  • Stance: “This idea is promising” (alignment) vs “That idea is nonsense” (distancing)

5.2 “Come” vs “go” (perspective encoded in motion)

General English tendency

  • “come” implies motion toward a relevant center (speaker, addressee, or agreed meeting point)

  • “go” implies motion away from that center

Examples

  • “Can you come to my office?” (toward speaker’s base)

  • “I’ll go to your office.” (toward addressee’s base; speaker is not there yet)
    But in planning contexts, “come” can align with the shared destination:

  • “I’ll come to the conference tomorrow.” (conference as discourse-established center)

6. Summary: what to retain

  • Deixis is context-anchored meaning: stable linguistic rules with shifting contextual values.

  • Core types: person, place, time, discourse, social deixis.

  • Psychological (deictic) projection is a systematic capacity to shift the deictic center for narrative, instruction, empathy, and interactional alignment.

 
 
Modifié le: samedi 20 décembre 2025, 11:59