AN ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL DEIXIS USED BY THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN THE MIRACLE OF NAMIYA GENERAL STORE NOVEL

Abstract

This research analyzes the use of social deixis by the main character in The Miracle of Namiya General Store novel by Keigo Higashino. The study aims to identify the types of social deixis employed and to explore the social factors and dimensions that influence their use. The research adopts a descriptive qualitative method, using Levinson’s  theory of social deixis and Holmes’ framework of social factors and dimensions. Data were collected from conversations in the English-translated version of the novel. The findings reveal 73 instances of social deixis, classified into two main categories: relational (speaker–referent, speaker–addressee, speaker–bystander, speaker–setting) and absolute (authorized speakers and authorized recipients). The analysis shows that the participant factor is the dominant social factor influencing the occurrence of social deixis, while social distance emerges as the primary social dimension reflected in the data. The results highlight how deixis not only marks interpersonal relationships but also encodes social hierarchies and levels of formality within the novel’s narrative. This study contributes to the understanding of sociopragmatic aspects of language in literature and provides a reference for further research on deixis in different contexts