Deixis

Deixis refers to words or expressions whose specific meaning or reference relies entirely on the situational context of the utterance—specifically the identity of the speaker, the addressee, and the time and place of speaking.

Because they lack a fixed semantic reference, deictic terms effectively “point” to elements in the immediate conversational context rather than naming them directly.

Dimensions and anchors

• Personal: I, you, we (anchored to the speaker and addressee).

• Spatial: here, there, this, that (anchored to the physical location of the utterance).

• Temporal: now, then, today, yesterday (anchored to the time of the utterance).

Deictic vs. Non-deictic

Deictic: Interpreted relative to the speech situation (speaker, time of speaking, place of speaking). Anchored to the speaker’s context.
Example: now, here, I, tomorrow, this.

Non-deictic: Interpreted independently of the speech situation; the reference is supplied by the context or the situation itself. Anchored elsewhere or contextually, not to the speech situation.
Example: the following day, at the station, the person mentioned earlier.

Illustration

Consider a note found on the ground that reads:

”I need you to take this over there tomorrow."

Without being present when the note was written, the sentence is impossible to fully resolve. The words are grammatically correct, but their meaning is entirely hollow because they rely on deictic anchors:

• I (Who is speaking?)

• You (Who is being addressed?)

• This (What object is being indicated?)

• There (What physical location is intended?)

• Tomorrow (When was the note written?)

These words are deictic expressions. Their referents constantly shift depending on who is using them, where they are standing, and when they are speaking