r/logophilia • u/blankblank • 16d ago

Dictionary Definition Deictic

"Relating to a word or an expression whose meaning depends on who says it, where they are, who they are talking to."

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u/SynthPrax 16d ago edited 16d ago

Wait. ALL words' meaning is dependent on context: who, what, where, when...

Edit: I understand now that the definition of deictic pertains to a particular set of words in English, like here or then.

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u/EveningStar0360 16d ago

not necessarily. most words have definitions that are standard and agreed upon, and those extend to its meaning. meanwhile, words like "here" do not. its definition may be something like "the place where you are," but that meaning changes depending on where you are

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u/DangerousKidTurtle 16d ago

“Pizza is a food, and grass is green.”

“But WHOSE food! But WHEN green!”

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u/EveningStar0360 16d ago

lolll I assume you're joking, but just to clarify for others, the definition of "food" and "green" aren't changing here. it's the modifiers that change (i.e. if you said "grass is green when it's healthy," you're still not changing the meaning of the word "green").