Which term labels words whose reference depends on the context of use, such as this, that, here, or there?

• A. Deixis/ Deictic
• B. Anaphoric references
• C. Demonstratives
• D. Pronouns

Answer: (A)

Deixis is about words whose reference shifts with the speaker’s context—who is speaking, where they are, and when it is. This is why this, that, here, and there fit: their meaning depends on who is talking and the surrounding situation. Demonstratives are a type of deictic expression used to point to something relative to the speaker. Anaphoric references look back to something already mentioned in the discourse, and pronouns rely on broader context to identify their referent; neither hinges primarily on the situational spatial or temporal context that deixis captures. So the best label for words whose reference depends on context of use is deixis (deictic).