Deictic Expressions and Their Reference Meanings in Taylor Swift’s Two Selected Songs Coney Island and Champagne Problems: A Pragmatic Study

Abstract

This study analyzes deictic expressions in Taylor Swift’s Coney Island and Champagne Problems based on Yule’s types of deixis, which are Person Deixis (PD), Spatial Deixis (SD), and Temporal Deixis (TD). Using Brown and Yule's context of situation, the reference meanings of each deictic expression are discovered to illustrate the narrative and theme of the songs. This research examines 40 selected lines from the first song "Coney Island", and 44 selected lines from the second song "Champagne Problems". The findings show that, among the three types of deixis, person deixis is the most frequent type in both songs, comprising 91 person deixis out of 117 deictic expressions. The most significant finding is that the similar theme in both songs could be conveyed through various types of deixis, which illustrates the participants, places, and times relative to the speakers to narrate the storylines in both songs. In conclusion, these three types of deixis indicate that a similar theme can be conveyed through different types of deixis.