Deixis System In Maithili Language And English Language

Abstract

The present study entitled "Deixis System in Maithili and English Language" was a modest attempt made to find out, compare and contrast the person, place and time deixis in Maithili and English languages. This study is designed on the survey research and sample population consisted of 30 Maithili speakers of Koshi Rural Municipality-3,Jamuwa who were selected through nonrandom judgmental sampling procedure. A set of structured questions was the tool used to collect data. The data were analyzed, interpreted and presented descriptively and statistically by using tables. From the data analysis, it is found that Maithili has three persons, namely first, second and third, three cases: subjective, objective and genitive and singular and plural in numbers. There are two different words to indicate person deictic terms in Maithili.For example: /tu:/(you) and /tu:sʌb/(plural you) but English language has only one word ‘you’ to indicate second person deictic expressions. Maithili time deictic expressions have tense system (Present, Past and Future), proximal and distal distinction, point of time and period of time distinction. In this way, there are two different words to indicate masculine (he) and feminine (she) in English. But there are only one term /u:/ to indicate both masculine and feminine in Maithili. There are two different words to indicate past and future in English. For example: yesterday (past tense) and tomorrow (future tense). But Maithili language has only one expression /ka:il/ to indicate both past and future tense.Place deictic expressions in Maithili Language classified under proximal, distal and neuter classes, e.g. /ǝtʌ/ (here, proximal), /ͻ:tʌ/ (there, distal) and /upǝr/ (up, neuter) etc. This research study consists of five chapters. The first chapter focuses with an introduction followed by background of the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, significance of the study, delimitation of the study and operational definition of the keys terms. Second chapter deals with the review of theoretical literature, review of the empirical literature, implications of the review for the study and conceptual framework. The third chapter deals with methods and procedures of the study. Similarly, the fourth chapter involves and discussions of results where the both statistical and descriptive approaches are used.Finally, the fifth chapter involves conclusions and recommendations of the study. The reference and appendices forms are the concluding part of this thesis.