Deixis: relative location encoded in demonstratives
| Values: | Med | Prox | Remt |
Deixis is typically a feature of demonstrative pronouns, determiners, and adverbs. Its value classifies the location of the referred entity with respect to the location of the speaker or of the hearer.
Middle Armenian makes a three-way distinction between demonstratives.
Prox: proximal
The entity is close to the reference point (e.g., to the speaker).
Examples
- սա/sa, այս/ays, իսա/isa, այսչաք/aysčak’, այսպես/ayspes, այսցեղ/aysc’eġ “this, this, this, this way, this way, this much”
Med: medial
The entity is neither close nor far away from the reference point (e.g., from the speaker).
Examples
- դա/da, այդ/ayd, իդա/ida, այտչաք/aytčak’, այդանօր/aydanor, այդցեղ/aydc’eġ “that, that, that, that many/much, that place, that way”
Remt: remote, distal
The entity is far away from the reference point (e.g., from the speaker).
Examples
- նա/na, այն/ayn, ինա/ina, այնպես/aynpes, այնցեղ/aync’eġ, այնչաք/aynčak’, այնտեղ/ “that, that, that, that way, that way, that many/much, there”
Deixis in other languages: [aqz] [bej] [hy] [mpu] [naq] [qpm] [u] [xcl]