The three-term model of communication and the system of Danish deictic pronouns

Abstract

The article focuses on the system of deictic pronouns in Danish. It is argued that in addition to binary oppositions expressing the objective (nearest vs distant) location of objects in the physical space relative to the speaker, like this vs that — denne vs den, a three-term opposition develops in modern Danish. This allows to specify the subjective interaction between the three participants in the communicative act: the speaker (1st person), the listener (2nd person) and the objects of the surrounding world (3rd person). The system of secondary demonstrative pronouns — deictic binomials — is investigated. “Deictic binomial” is used as a term for an analytical combination of a simple deictic pronoun and a spatial adverb. Four possible combinations of such binomials are considered. The Danish Corpus (KorpusDK) analysis made it possible to assert that combinations of proximal deixis indicators — such as denne her ‘this here’ — are subjective markers of 1st person signaling that the deictic object enters into the speaker’s personal space. Combinations of indicators of distal and proximal deixis (such as den her ‘that here’) are “cohortatives” — subjective markers of the 2nd person, signaling the common perception of shared attitude to the deictic object by the speaker and its addressee. Combinations of analytical indicators of distal deixis (such as den der ‘that there’) — shift the negatively evaluated object outside the personal space of the speaker and the space of communication, which corresponds to the communicative function of the 3rd person. The search in the Danish Corpus for the fourth type of combinations, that is, combinations of proximal and distal deixis (such as denne der ‘this there’) gives practically no results. This confirms the conclusion that the paradigm for expressing the speakers subjective attitude to the object of deixis in modern Danish is represented by three categories that correspond to three “spatial areas” — the speaker’s personal space (1st person), the common communication space shared with the addressee (2nd person), an external space into which the speaker subjectively removes the disapproved or alienated objects of deixis (3rd person).