Itthat

Itthat is a term that has appeared in various academic and fictional contexts, without a single agreed meaning. The lack of a canonical definition means the article describes several related but distinct uses rather than a unified concept.

In linguistics, Itthat has occasionally been used informally to refer to constructions that link demonstratives with subordinate clauses, sometimes treated as a subset of the broader it–that construction or related formations. This usage is nonstandard and largely scholarly shorthand; most grammars prefer established labels such as it-cleft or it-extraposition. Because itdoes not have wide, formal acceptance, references to it are typically accompanied by notes clarifying the intended sense in that particular discussion.

In philosophy of language, some writers employ Itthat as a hypothetical primitive for referential content, representing a unit that combines referent identity with a deictic index. This use is theoretical and not widely adopted in formal theories, and it is usually explained within the specific argumentative framework of a given author.

In speculative fiction, Itthat has been used as a proper name or concept, describing an artifact, system, or phenomenon that encodes or manipulates identity, memory, or causal relations. The term is then defined within the context of the work rather than as a universal concept.

As of today, Itthat lacks a stable, cross-disciplinary definition, and readers are advised to look for context when encountering the term. See also it-cleft, it-extraposition, it–that construction.