DEITIC WORDS
Class of words that change meaning depending on context (who is speaking, where they are, when they speak):
A) Deictic Words
B) Propositions
C) Sentences
A) Deictic Words
What is the difference between “The” and “A”?
The = definite article: it signals that the referent is identifiable to the hearer.
A = indefinite article: it introduces a non-identified or unknown referent.
"When reporting someone’s speech, deictic terms often change so that the reference still makes sense from the new speaker’s perspective."
True or False?
True. Example:
Direct speech: John said, “I will call you tomorrow.”
Reported speech: John said that he would call me the next day.
The following expressions are DEITIC WORDS, except: “here, you, man, me, next Tuesday”.
"Man"
Definiteness is:
a) Meaning shaped by the situation.
b) Hearer's ability to identify referent.
c) An extension that describes a property or a class.
b) Hearer's ability to identify referent.
"In reported speech, deictic terms are never replaced with non-deictic equivalents (like the next day) to preserve the original meaning."
True or False?
False. Example:
Direct speech: John said, “I will call you tomorrow.”
Reported speech: John said that he would call me the next day.
Are “tenses” deictic?
Yes? No? Explain.
Yes.
Explanation: what was the future for some is the past for others.
If I tell you “A dog bit me”, is the referent of the dog identifiable or non-identifiable?
Non-identifiable.
By using “A” I am introducing a new referent to the conversation; you don’t know which dog I am talking about, but from now on in our conversation you will know that I am referring to that dog.
Based on the Zonglish language example seen in class, would it be correct to say that Deixis is essential in Language and Meaning?
Yes. Deixis is essential in Language and Meaning.
Based on the Zonglish language example:
- Refer to yourself without I,
- Talk about others without you,
- Mention times and places without now, then, here, or there.
Give at least 2 examples for each of the types of Deictic Expressions:
1. Person deixis
2. Place deixis
3. Time deixis
1. Person deixis: I, you, we
2. Place deixis: here, there, this town
3. Time deixis: now, then, yesterday
"In generic statements, "the" doesn't refer to a specific object"
True or False?
True.
Example: "The whale is a mammal"
Direct Speech: Anna said, “I will go to your house tomorrow”
Change the sentence to “reported speech” (Imagine it has been 3 days since Anna told you that)
Direct Speech: Anna said, “I will go to your house tomorrow”.
Reported speech: "Anna told me she would come to my house the next day".
Based on the types of Diectic Expressions (Person Deixis, Place Deixis, and Time Diexis) choose one type and say a sentence as an example for it:
Person Deixis: "I like cats"
Place Deixis: "This town is beautiful"
Time Diexis: If I say this on April 10th, yesterday will be April 9th.
What is the “Universe of Discourse”?
The shared “world” (real or imagined) that both speaker and hearer are assuming in the conversation.
In short, why is it necessary to change Deictic terms in Reported Speech?
Because deictic expressions (like I, here, now, you, tomorrow) get their meaning from the specific situation in which they are spoken.
When that situation changes (as it does in reported speech), the original deixis no longer fits, so we adjust it to maintain the intended reference.