therethat

Therethat is a neologism used in theoretical linguistics and philosophy of language to denote a referent that is present in discourse and context but not explicitly identified. It functions as a placeholder for an entity or concept whose precise identity is determined by pragmatic cues, shared knowledge, or the flow of conversation. The term signals that both existence and referential intent are in play, without committing to a fixed designation.

Etymology and form: Therethat combines there and that to convey simultaneous grounding in the discourse space and reference to a particular item. It can be used as a pronoun or as a determiner preceding a noun, as in therethat hypothesis or therethat concept, with the understood meaning that the referent will be clarified later by context or inference.

Grammatical usage: In analytic discussions, therethat is often employed to scrutinize referential indeterminacy and how listeners or readers recover intended meaning. It allows writers to discuss how a speaker might point to an element that is not named but is presumed to be salient within the current discussion.

Relation to other concepts: Therethat relates to deixis and indexicality, offering a way to express co-presence of a referent in context alongside a lack of explicit identification. It bears similarities to placeholders used in formal semantics and to the informal expression the thing in question, but ties the placeholder to its contextual grounding.

Reception: The term remains uncommon and has limited adoption in mainstream linguistics. Advocates argue it can clarify debates about context dependence and referential uptake, while critics worry that it adds obscure jargon without broad practical benefit.

See also: deixis, indexicality, referential indeterminacy, placeholders.