ATLAS OF LANGUAGE

AT-145-004 · ATLAS 251

Person-oriented demonstrative system

A demonstrative system ordering referents by proximity to speaker, hearer or both.

Explanation

A hearer-proximal term builds the interlocutor's position into the deictic map.

Example

Japanese kono/sono/ano and Tongan eni/ena/ia distinguish near speaker, near hearer and away from both; Hausa adds a very-far term.

Counterexample

English this/that typically forms a simpler proximal-distal contrast.

Distinction

speaker-near ↔ hearer-near ↔ far

Effect on thought and perception

Turns pointing into a shared spatial negotiation.

Resonance

Deixis appears as a shared geometry of attention.

Cite this entry

Reich, Michael (Hrsg./ed.): „Person-oriented demonstrative system“. Atlas der Sprache, AT-145-004. ATLAS 251, data model 1.6.0. https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-145-004

https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-145-004

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