🇨🇳Chinese Source WordCode: ZH

指示词

Pronunciation / Transliteration: zhǐshìcí

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Indexical/ˈɪn.dɛk.sɪ.kəl/
nounCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #15000 frequency
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🇨🇳 Example Sentence in Chinese:

"在句子'我在这里'中,'我'是一个指示词。"

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A linguistic expression whose reference can shift depending on the context in which it is used.

    "In the sentence 'I am here', the word 'I' is an indexical that refers to the speaker."
  2. 2

    An expression that points to a specific time, place, or person, often relying on the context of the utterance.

    "Words like 'now' and 'you' are indexicals that change meaning based on the speaker's situation."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The term 'indexical' derives from the Latin word 'index', meaning 'one who points out', combined with the suffix '-ical', which indicates a relation to. It emerged in the early 20th century, particularly in the fields of linguistics and philosophy, to describe expressions that refer to contextual elements.

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