LessonsDefining the Subject by Demonstration: Rhetorical Purposes of DemonstrativesQuiz

Demonstratives are associated with near and distant reference. The commentary discusses forms such as «هٰذَا», «ذَاكَ», and «ذٰلِكَ» as examples of near, intermediate, and distant reference. Details may be articulated differently across grammatical traditions; our focus here is the book's rhetorical reasoning.

FormIllustrative degreeBasic sense
هٰذَاNearThis one
ذَاكَIntermediate exampleThat one, relatively remote
ذٰلِكَFarThat distant one

In rhetoric, spatial distance can be extended to express moral elevation or abasement. The following examples therefore distinguish physical reference from figurative or evaluative distance.

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Degrees of nearness and distance

Defining the Subject by Demonstration: Rhetorical Purposes of Demonstratives

Demonstratives are associated with near and distant reference. The commentary discusses forms such as «هٰذَا», «ذَاكَ», and «ذٰلِكَ» as examples of near, intermediate, and distant reference. Details may be articulated differently across grammatical traditions; our focus here is the book's rhetorical reasoning.

FormIllustrative degreeBasic sense
هٰذَاNearThis one
ذَاكَIntermediate exampleThat one, relatively remote
ذٰلِكَFarThat distant one

In rhetoric, spatial distance can be extended to express moral elevation or abasement. The following examples therefore distinguish physical reference from figurative or evaluative distance.