The author uses a semiotic notion of "indexicality" from a linguistic anthropological perspective. An observation is made of how Silverstein and Ochs's theories, emphasizing the importance of nonreferential values of signs, influenced the ways in which ethnographers and discourse analysts interpret cultures and speech in context. Three domains of application are presented in which indexicality and related notions are predominantly active and essential parts of language use: (1) text and intertextuality, (2) social interaction, and (3) cognitive styles.