I was wondering if a language exists without the ability to express the notions of 'I', 'We', 'they' etc.
Would it be possible to communicate without these concepts being expressible as a referential function?
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Sign up to join this communityI was wondering if a language exists without the ability to express the notions of 'I', 'We', 'they' etc.
Would it be possible to communicate without these concepts being expressible as a referential function?
In many languages the pronouns for the 3rd person singular and plural are, at least etymologically, demonstrative pronouns. Most languages have personal pronouns in the 1st and 2nd person singular and plural, but in some languages (especially in South-East Asia) these are not used in polite discourse, but are replaced by kinship terms or other substitutes. For example, in Vietnamese, if I am speaking to an older man, I will not say “Can I help you?”, but the equivalent of “Can nephew help uncle?”.
{∅}
, i.e, zero reference is the norm, with intended referents determined solely by context.
– jlawler
May 5 '17 at 19:30