Thatthis

Thatthis is a term used in linguistic and semiotic discussions to describe a deictic device that signals layered proximity and distance within a single utterance or discourse act. The coinage treats that and this not as a single grammatical category but as a conceptual tool for analyzing referential expressions that carry both near and far references depending on perspective, context, or discourse relations. In this view, speakers may employ thatthis strategically to foreground contrasts such as local versus global concerns, intimate versus distant stakes, or immediate versus long-range implications.

Origin and use

The term thatthis emerged in late 2010s scholarly writing on deixis and demonstratives, where researchers observed how communicative emphasis can blur spatial or social distances. It is commonly used in analyses of discourse where a speaker simultaneously invokes proximity and remoteness to frame an issue, assess responsibility, or negotiate stance. Rather than proposing a new grammatical category, thatthis functions as a heuristic label for patterns that defy simple binary distinctions between this (proximal) and that (distal).

Examples

- Thatthis policy decision illustrates how local priorities and global consequences are intertwined.

- In the debate, the speaker describes the thatthis situation as both immediately relevant and there at a remove in time or scale.

- Some theorists treat thatthis as a rhetorical device that encodes stance more than a fixed syntactic form.

See also

Deixis, demonstratives, proximal and distal reference, dual demonstratives.