Test on Reference, Deixis, Presupposition, and Entailment

Question 1: Grammatical tenses, such as the past tense suffix '-ed', are classified as a form of social deixis because they indicate politeness and social relationships.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: Grammatical tenses are a form of temporal deixis, as they locate events in time relative to the moment of speaking. Social deixis, also called honorifics, encodes the social relationship between the speaker and the person they are talking to.

Question 2: Honorifics, such as 'Your Honour' or using formal 'Vous' in French, are primarily examples of temporal deixis.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: Honorifics, like 'Your Honour' or the T-V distinction in French ('Vous' vs. 'tu'), are forms of social deixis. Social deixis encodes the social relationship between the speaker and the person they are talking to. Temporal deixis, by contrast, points to a moment in time relative to when the utterance is made.

Question 3: Which of the following statements accurately describes personal deixis or provides a correct example of it, based on the study materials?

A. Personal deixis points to the people involved in the conversation.

B. The pronouns 'I' and 'you' are clear examples of personal deixis, as their meaning shifts with the speaker.

C. Words like 'now' and 'then' are the clearest examples of personal deixis, indicating a moment in time.

D. Personal deixis is primarily concerned with encoding the social relationship between the speaker and the listener, such as using titles.

Explanation: According to the study materials, Personal deixis is defined as pointing to the people involved in the conversation (Option 0). It also states that personal pronouns like 'I' and 'you' are the clearest examples, and their meaning changes every time a different person speaks (Option 1). Option 2 describes temporal deixis, not personal deixis. Option 3 describes social deixis, not personal deixis.

Question 4: Based on the study materials, which statement accurately describes the deictic centre and deictic projection?

A. The deictic centre is the central point of reference (I, here, now) from which everything is measured, while deictic projection occurs when this centre shifts as the speaker mentally moves to a different position.

B. The deictic centre refers to the speaker's main topic, and deictic projection is when the topic shifts to another subject.

C. The deictic centre identifies whether an expression is proximal or distal, and deictic projection explains the use of past tenses.

D. The deictic centre is the same as anaphoric reference, and deictic projection is a type of cataphoric reference.

Explanation: The study materials define the 'deictic centre' as the central point of reference in an utterance, usually 'I' (person), 'here' (place), 'now' (time), from which everything is measured. 'Deictic projection' is described as when this centre shifts, meaning the speaker mentally moves to a different position. Option 0 directly reflects these definitions. Options 1, 2, and 3 introduce inaccuracies not found in the provided definitions for these terms.

Question 5: Verbs such as 'pretend,' 'dream,' and 'imagine' lead to a presupposition that the statement following them is not true.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: Non-factive verbs like 'pretend', 'dream', and 'imagine' are triggers that presuppose the complement (the statement following them) is not true.