Dictionaries TOEIC TOEFL GMAT SAT GRE MCAT PCAT ASVAB Interviews

Tests Grammar Articles Stories Shop Services Lesson Plans Community

Home Top 100 Start your FREE email English course now! Audio Lessons

Username
Password
Remember me?

Search FAQ Memberlist Profile Private messages Register Log in

Deictic expressions

1532 English Language Exercises

Printable, photocopiable, clearly structured
Designed for teachers and individual learners
For use in a classroom, at home, on your PC

ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms

Expression: "Hey, look at that building..." | Gerund (Smoking has been banned in Asian Countries.)

Message

Author

Mon Jun 23, 2008 22:00 pm Deictic expressions

Hi I tried to understand the meaning of deictic expressions through the internet sources but could not. Could you please explain to me what deictic expressions are? Regards, Tom

Tom
I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 30 May 2006
Posts: 1985

Mon Jun 23, 2008 22:23 pm Deictic expressions

http://www.sil.org/linguistics/glossaryoflinguisticterms/WhatIsDeixis.htm

Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 3817

Read these English anecdotes and maybe smile today? Subscribe to free email English course

Want to learn about the future tenses? Read this story and smile

English grammar exercises — improve your English knowledge and vocabulary skills

Are you a native speaker of English? Then you should read this!

Mon Jun 23, 2008 23:12 pm Deictic expressions

Tom wrote:

Hi

I tried to understand the meaning of deictic expressions through the internet sources but could not. Could you please explain to me what deictic expressions are?

Regards,

Tom

Hello Tom,

Deictic expressions relate the content of an utterance to the speaker, the addressee, and the time and place of utterance.

Thus if I say to you:

1. Come over here and look at this!

"here" refers to where I am as I speak, "come" refers to a direction that depends on where "here" is, and "this" refers to e.g. something I am pointing at. They are therefore deictic.

Cf.

2. Yesterday he gave me a gold watch.

Here, the meaning of "yesterday" depends on the time of speaking, and "me" depends on the identity of the speaker. Moreover, "gave" is also a deictic element, as it locates the act in relation to the time of speaking. "A gold watch" however isn't. (Gold watches are gold watches.)

Best wishes,

MrP

MrPedantic
I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 1209
Location: Southern England

Mon Jun 23, 2008 23:26 pm Deictic expressions

Quote:

and "this" refers to e.g. something I am pointing at.

Though pointing is not always the case.

Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 3817

Mon Jun 23, 2008 23:30 pm Deictic expressions

Molly wrote:

Quote:

and "this" refers to e.g. something I am pointing at.

Though pointing is not always the case.

Indeed. (Hence the "e.g.".)

MrP

MrPedantic
I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 1209
Location: Southern England

Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:34 am Deictic expressions

MrPedantic wrote:

Molly wrote:

Quote:

and "this" refers to e.g. something I am pointing at.

Though pointing is not always the case.

Indeed. (Hence the "e.g.".)

MrP

I saw it. I was just wondering how many students would guess the other e.g.s.

Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 3817

Display posts from previous:

Expression: "Hey, look at that building..." | Gerund (Smoking has been banned in Asian Countries.)

	ESL Forum \| English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms	All times are GMT + 2 Hours
Page 1 of 1

Latest topics on English Forums
Pull the plug • who take part in his teachings • Concord: there's/there are + plural noun • Sentence: Do you have a budget for this solution... • take care of ... responsible for ...in charge of... • I can't reach you... • Punctuation for questions (How can a bank have exposure to a bond insurer who...) • If you are not/don't be with somebody (_) your own age, you will regret it later. • Good offices • Conditional questions (If I were sick, I would have taken this medicine.) • reach a point vs get to the point • "never went out" - is non-standard English? • about "it's time you sold that old car" - the story continues • because, cos, cus • difference between "elderly" and "old" • You had better put your cellphone on mute. • "economy situation" vs "economic situation"? • I'll just go stuff my face. • Deictic expressions

Discover English-test.net
Learning GRE words by family? • What does "black mark" mean? • Could OR can? • When to use 'that' and 'which' • Some examples of common nouns • GRE prep test: Word Vocabulary Games: Adjective Noun Test • GRE vocab test: Free word games: Online Adjectives Nouns Game • Meaning of bifurcated, affected, seismic, antagonistic, tonsure • Pimsleur approach • Teach business English: Faxes • Economics distance learning: Business Buzzwords: The 'Book'

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

Subscribe to FREE email English course written by Alan Townend

First name

E-mail