Deixis in the Language of Nursing

Abstract

This paper outlines an approach in semantics and pragmatics which is used in different ways, that is called "Deixis". Deixis is a technical term (from Greek) for one of the most basic things we do with utterances. It means 'pointing' via language and the linguistic form is called a deictic expression. (Yule 1996: 9). Deictic expressions, such as 'this, that, here, there' are typically used for information and even for education in relation to the indexical ground of utterance context. In order to determine the conventional meanings of deictics in language, deictic expressions will be analysed in certain English nursing texts and what influences they may have on the interpretation of the texts. Deictic expressions in English nursing texts depend on the contents and the formulations of nursing texts. This paper will focus on the use of deixis in nursing texts. Thus, by analysing the deictic expressions in a number of texts taking from a nursing book called "Communication for Nurses" (2009), it will be shown how these pragmatic features are used in relation to different contexts. That is to say, how the expressions may be used in a way, where their reference is determined in relation to the point of the origin of the utterance in which they occur. (Grundy 2000: 272).



Author Information
Suhair Safwat Hashim, University of Sulaimani, Iraq

Paper Information
Conference: IICEDubai2016
Stream: Linguistics and pedagogy

This paper is part of the IICEDubai2016 Conference Proceedings (View)
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Posted by James Alexander Gordon