Referentiewig

Referentiewig is a relatively obscure Dutch term whose meaning is not standardized across sources. The word combines referentie (reference or referent) with wig (wig), but the exact concept it designates varies by author and context. In some Dutch-language discussions in linguistics, education, and semiotics, referentiewig is described as a hypothetical or tangible referent used in demonstrations to clarify how referents function in language and discourse. Practitioners may employ a wig as a stand-in object to illustrate deixis, identity, or referential shifts within a text or conversation, making abstract relations more concrete for learners or observers.

Because the term is not widely used outside niche texts, there is no single accepted definition. Some sources treat referentiewig as a didactic tool to show how a speaker’s referential choices point to particular objects or personas, while others use it more broadly to denote any object used as a reference point in a demonstration about reference. The concept has appeared primarily in Dutch educational or linguistics literature and is rarely found in major dictionaries or glossaries.

See also: referent, deixis, discourse analysis, semiotics.