Deícticos

Deícticos are words or phrases whose meaning depends on the context in which they are used, specifically on the situation of the utterance. They refer to elements of the communicative situation, such as the speaker, the listener, the time, and the place. The term "deixis" comes from the Greek word meaning "pointing" or "showing."

Common examples of deícticos include personal pronouns like "yo" (I), "tú" (you), "él" (he), "ella" (she), "nosotros" (we), and "ellos" (they). Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns such as "este" (this), "ese" (that), "aquel" (that over there), "esto" (this thing), "eso" (that thing), and "aquello" (that thing over there) are also deícticos. Adverbs of time like "ahora" (now), "ayer" (yesterday), "mañana" (tomorrow), "hoy" (today) and adverbs of place like "aquí" (here), "allí" (there), "allá" (over there) function deictically. Verb tenses can also have deictic properties, indicating temporal relationships relative to the moment of speaking.

Deícticos are essential for establishing reference and grounding language in the real world or in a specific narrative context. Without understanding who is speaking, to whom, when, and where, the meaning of deictic expressions remains ambiguous. Linguists classify deixis into categories such as person deixis, place deixis, time deixis, discourse deixis (referring to parts of the discourse itself), and social deixis (indicating social relationships between participants).