indexical

Indexical is a term in linguistics and philosophy of language for expressions whose meaning or reference depends on the context of utterance. The contribution of an indexical changes with who is speaking, where, and when. The term evokes the idea of a signpost directing reference through context.

Common indexicals include deictic pronouns (I, you, he), temporal and spatial adverbs (now, then, here, there), and demonstratives (this, that). For example, “I am here” refers to the speaker at the place of utterance; “now” specifies the time of speaking.

Philosophically, indexicals are analyzed with the character-content distinction. An indexical term has a context-dependent character that yields a content relative to the current context; the same sentence can express different propositions in different situations.

Indexicality influences truth conditions, belief reports, and discourse semantics. It explains why utterances can shift meaning across contexts and why interpreting indirect discourse requires tracking who is involved and when.

In linguistics and cognitive science, indexicals are a central topic for understanding context sensitivity, cross-language variation, and how speakers manage reference in communication.