Indexicality
Table of contents
In the study of language, the term indexicality typically refers to a realm of meaning that is not based on the symbolic contents of linguistic signs per se, but on the context-dependent configurations and effects of linguistic signs in use. These effects are at work, for example, when German is used in car advertisements (Volkswagen. Das Auto.) and restaurants all around the globe are named with French looking/sounding names. There is nothing about the structure of German language that makes it especially suitable for selling cars. It is the indexicality of Deutsch that invokes associations with advanced technology, functionality, and reliability, in the same way as français is associated with culinary pleasures and culture (Hornikx et al. 2013).
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