Exophoric

Exophoric reference, or exophora, is a term in linguistics for expressions whose interpretation depends on information outside the text or discourse. These expressions point to entities in the physical or social context of the communicants rather than to items already established within the discourse. This contrasts with endophoric (endophoric) reference, where pronouns or terms anchor to something mentioned earlier in the text.

Common exophoric devices include demonstratives such as this, that, these, those, as well as spatial terms like here and there and second-person pronouns like you when they refer to the listener. Resolving exophoric references often relies on situational cues such as the speaker’s gaze, gestures, and shared perceptual access to the referenced object or person.

Exophora is a subtype of deixis, specifically deictic reference that relies on contextual information beyond the immediate text. It predominates in spoken language, casual conversation, and signage, but can also appear in narrative when pointing to objects in a scene. Cross-linguistic variation exists in how languages encode demonstratives and deixal distinctions, affecting how exophoric meaning is conveyed and interpreted.

In discourse analysis, exophoric references help ground communication in the surrounding world or shared situation, enabling efficient communication with minimal explicit description. They are distinguished from endophoric references, which operate wholly within the textual or cognitive structure of the discourse.