Personal Deictic Expressions in the Labyrinths of Burhan Shawi: A Pragmatic Study

Abstract

This study examines personal deixis in the labyrinth novels of Burhan Shawi from a pragmatic perspective, considering them linguistic elements whose meanings cannot be fully understood outside the communicative context. The study aims to reveal how the novelist employed pronouns and personal referential expressions to construct relationships among characters, embody psychological and intellectual transformations, and engage the reader in interpreting the narrative discourse.

The study adopts the pragmatic approach, drawing on the concepts of deixis, reference, and context, with a focus on personal deictic expressions represented by first-, second-, and third-person pronouns. It also investigates the communicative functions these expressions perform within the narrative text, the subjective and psychological dimensions they reveal about the characters, as well as their role in creating interaction among characters, expanding the narrative perspective, and establishing distance between the narrator and the events.