Intersemiotic interpretation of demonstrative that in modern TV series

Abstract

Abstract The study aims to illustrate that the intersemiotic interpretation of demonstrative that can eliminate the deictic indeterminacy of that in implying the proximity especially when what that identifies is not adequately interpreted in the linguistic expressions. To instantiate this viewpoint, the data are drawn from the modern TV series, annotated by the annotation tool ELAN 6.3, and analyzed by a qualitative method in terms of the complementarity of a visual deictic to demonstrative that, the explicit and implicit demonstrative that, as well as the transformation of that into this. It was found that the visual deictics, such as the arrow, the curve line, the cross, the gaze and other visual images, could eliminate the deictic ambiguity of demonstrative that when that was used to identify an element. The explicit and implicit that sheds light on the deictic divergency of the visual proximity from the linguistic one in multimodal discourse. A visual deictic may force the linguistic deictic that to transform into this by its reappearance. The results do not totally deny the traditional uses of demonstrative that, but expand its deictic function to present the multi-dimensional and dynamic world.