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Part of
Motion and Space across Languages: Theory and applications
Edited by Iraide Ibarretxe-Antuñano
[Human Cognitive Processing 59] 2017
► pp. 95–122

Chapter 3
The functional nature of deictic verbs and the coding patterns of Deixis

An experimental study in English, Japanese, and Thai

 | Kobe University
 | Nagoya University
 | Kanda University of International Studies
This chapter examines the nature of linguistic expressions of Deixis, which is often coded somewhat differently from other components of Path. It is argued that deictic verbs like come are not merely spatial in meaning but also functional. Results of a video-based experiment in English, Japanese, and Thai are reported. These revealed that venitive verbs tend to be used more often when the motion is not just toward the speaker but also into his/her space as defined by limits on interaction and visibility, and that they can be used for motion off the direction of the speaker if it is into the speaker’s functional space. Directional venitive PPs like toward me do not clearly have such properties. The functional nature of deictic verbs can account for the distinct coding patterns of Deixis among different Path components.
Keywords: deictic verbs, Path, motion, functional space, video experiment
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The semantics of deictic expressions
    • 2.1Spatial and functional nature of Deixis
    • 2.2Deictic expressions in the three languages
  • 3.Experiment
    • 3.1Method
    • 3.2Results on the frequencies of deictic verbs and PPs/VPs
    • 3.3Results and discussion on venitive verbs
      • 3.3.1Presence vs. absence of the speaker’s space
      • 3.3.2Speaker’s space 1: Classroom
      • 3.3.3Speaker’s space 2: Staircase levels
      • 3.3.4Speaker’s space 3: Visible space
      • 3.3.5Interactional behavior
      • 3.3.6Discussion
    • 3.4Results and discussion on deictic PPs/VPs
  • 4.General discussion
    • 4.1The functional semantics of venitive verbs
    • 4.2Typological implications
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 14 August 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/hcp.59.05mat
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