demonstratiivid

Demonstratiivid are a grammatical category comprising words that point to a referent in space, time, or discourse from the perspective of the speaker. They function as demonstrative pronouns when standing alone and as demonstrative adjectives (or determiners) when modifying a noun, as in this book or those chairs.

Across languages, demonstratiivid typically encode deictic distance. Most systems distinguish proximal forms for referents near the speaker and distal forms for those farther away; some languages add a medial or intermediate form. They may also encode number (singular vs. plural) and, less commonly, gender or other features. In many languages, demonstratiivid inflect for case or agree with the noun they accompany, while in others they do not inflect.

Usage patterns vary. Demonstratiivid can be used deictically to locate objects in the physical world, temporally to refer to times, or discourse-wide to signal information status (new vs. given). They can also function anaphorically or cataphorically, pointing to entities already mentioned or to be mentioned later. In some languages, demonstratiivid form a close relative of pronouns and adjectives, with overlapping functions or even serving as both determiner and pronoun.

Etymology traces to Latin demonstrare, meaning “to show.” The systematization of demonstratiivid as a cross-linguistic category reflects their central role in encoding reference and salience in communication. See also deictic, pronoun, determiner for related grammatical concepts.