Deictic Center
Definition:
A deictic center is a reference point in relation to which a deictic expression is to be interpreted.
Discussion:
The deictic center is most typically the present time, location, participant role, and so forth of the speaker.
Examples:
(English)
- In the following example, the speaker, the actual location and the actual time of the utterance are, respectively, the deictic centers for the interpretation of I, here, and now:
- I’m over here now.
Source:
83–85
This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library. Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003.