Name : Khinanti Giantari

NIM : 2012943
Subject : Language in Use

SUMMARY OF DEIXIS IN PRAGMATICS

The topic is about deixis in pragmatics. This summary will discuss about the definition of
deixis by the experts and categories of deixis. For the first, I have learned about the definition of
deixis from Yule (1996). He states that the word “deixis” is a technical term (from Greek) for
one of the most basic things we do with utterances, which means “pointing” via language. Any
linguistic form used to accomplish “pointing” is called a deictic expression. Deictic expression
also known as a “indexical”. Deictic expressions are meaningful in each context. They are
among the first words acquired by children. To be interpreted correctly, the speaker and listener
must share the same context. They are particularly useful in face-to-face communication. The
next definition is from Huang (2007), he also stated that the term ‘deixis’ is derived from the
Greek word meaning ‘to show’ or ‘to point out’. Deixis is directly concerned with the
relationship between the structure of a language and the context in which the language is used. It
can be defined as the phenomenon whereby features of context of utterance or speech event are
encoded by lexical and/or grammatical means in a language. We can concluded that deixis is the
function or use of deictic words or expressions (= ones whose meaning depends on where, when
or by whom they are used).
For the second, I have learned about the categories of deixis. According to Huang (2007),
there are two big categories of deixis, they are basic categories and other categories of deixis.
The basic categories consist of;
 Person deixis is the expression used to point a person.
- Terms referring to speaker and addressee (I, me, my, mine, you, your, yours).
- Terms not referring to speaker or addressee (He, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, they,
them, their, theirs).
- Honorifics (Your majesty, sir. (These terms of social deixis indicate social status)).
 Time deixis is the expression used to point a time. According to Grundy (2000), time
deixis is tense system. Then, Yule (1996) says that the basic type of temporal deixis in
English is in the choice of verb tense. In conclusion, time deixis is an expression in
relation to point to certain period when the utterance produced by the speaker.
For example :
- This/last/next Monday/week/month/year.
- Now, then, ago, later, soon, before.
- Yesterday, today, tomorrow
 Space deixis is words used to point a location. According to Grundy (2000), there are
three degrees of proximity is by no means uncommon, with some languages distinguish
proximity to the speaker and to the addressee. Place deixis is an expression to show the
location relative to the location of a participant in the speech event.
For example :
- Here (proximal)
- There (distal)
- Where, left, right up, down, above, below, in front, behind, come go, bring, and take.
Next, other categories of deixis consist of;
  Social deixis concerned with the codification of the social status of the speaker, the
addressee, or a third person or entity referred to, as well as the social relationship holding
between them. The information encoded in social deixis may include social class, kind
relationship, age, sex, profession, and ethnic group.
- Relational
The relations that typically expressed:
o Speaker and referent (e.g. referent honorifics)
o Speaker and addressee (e.g. addressee honorifics)
o Speaker and bystander (e.g. bystander or audience honorifics)
o Speaker and setting (e.g. formality levels)
- Absolute
Socially deictic information:
o Authorized speaker
Thai:
‘khrab’ (a polite participle that can only be used by male speakers)
‘kha’ (a polite participle that can only be used by female speakers)
o Authorized recipient:
Title address: Your honour, Mr. President.
 Discourse deixis concerned with the use of a linguistic expression within some utterance
to point to the current, preceding or following utterances in the same spoken or written
discourse.
- Time discourse-deictic
It seems natural that time-deictic words can be used to refer to portions of the
discourse. For example last week, next Thursday, last paragraph, in the next chapter.
- Place discourse-deictic
Demonstrative “this” and “that”. “This” can be used to refers to a forthcoming portion
of the discourse. For example “I bet you haven’t heard this story”. “That” to
preceding portion. For example, “that was the funniest story I’ve ever heard”.
- Anaphora
Concern the use of (usually) a pronoun to refer to the same referent as some prior
term, as in: “Harry’s a sweetheart, he’s so considerate.”
I have known the deixis is part of pragmatics and the brief explanation from the last
presentation before reading the chapter but I do not know yet about it deeply. Now, I want to
know more about the deixis, the categories of deixis deeply, and the examples of deixis in real
life because I can be more understand about something with some examples.