A typology of the exophoric functions of Malayo-Polynesian demonstratives

Abstract Though they comprise approximately 1,253 of the world’s languages, Malayo-Polynesian languages have been underrepresented in research on demonstrative semantics. This paper addresses this gap by analyzing the exophoric functions of pronominal, adnominal, and local adverbial demonstrative systems across 159 Malayo-Polynesian languages. Using a coding methodology that provides a foundation for future comparative studies, the analysis identifies four primary types of systems – distance-oriented, person-oriented, geocentric, and intrinsic – and explores how these systems co-occur in a single language. Additional deictic features, including the visibility and reachability of referents, further distinguish these systems. Beyond documenting their frequency and geographic distribution, this survey reveals several theoretical insights. Many Malayo-Polynesian demonstrative systems are both egocentric and interactive, with some systems utilizing peripersonal space distinctions. The dataset further highlights several understudied features of demonstratives, such as geocentric, intrinsic, and asymmetric systems. Geocentric and intrinsic systems, though rare, almost universally co-occur with elevational systems, raising questions about grammaticalization hierarchies. Asymmetric systems occur in 21 % of languages. In this sample, person-oriented, geocentric, and intrinsic systems are slightly more likely to appear in adnominal demonstratives than other word classes. These findings reveal opportunities for future research on more diverse linguistic corpora.