demonstratywne

Demonstratywne, or demonstratives, form a class of words used to indicate reference to entities within discourse. They express deixis, pointing to items in relation to the speaker, to the listener, or to a previously mentioned context. Demonstratives can function as pronouns (this, these, that, those) or as determiners that modify a noun (this book, those people). In some languages they also appear as adverbs, marking location or reference.

A key feature of demonstratives is their system of distance or proximity. Many languages distinguish a proximal set (referring to entities near the speaker, e.g., this/these) from a distal set (referring to entities farther away, e.g., that/those). Some languages also include an intermediate or “over there” distinction. Beyond spatial deixis, demonstratives can signal temporal reference or discourse salience, helping to identify familiar versus new referents or to reintroduce topics.

In Polish, demonstratywne include forms that agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they accompany or replace. Common examples resemble ta/ten/to (this) and te (these), as well as tamta/tamten/tamto (that/that over there) and tamte (those over there). They serve as demonstrative pronouns or demonstrative adjectives, enabling phrases such as ta książka (this book), tamta książka (that book), te książki (these books), and tamte książki (those books). Polish demonstratives can also express a general sense of “such” with forms like taki/taka/takie.

Cross-linguistically, demonstratives interact with pronouns, adjectives, and numerals, and their inventories and constraints differ by language. They play a central role in reference management, categorization, and discourse structure.