Owen — Revision of Pronouns. 129 



'Next to the question how near an object is, may rise the 

 question which way it lies or, in other words, what may be 

 called its hearing^ To illustrate, while the phrase '^this hat'^ 

 denotes an object near to me, it gives no indication whether 

 it be 071 my head or under my feet, before or behind me, at my 

 right (reclits) or my left (linhs). But each of the italicized 

 words refers the hat to one of three dimensions of egocentric 

 space and further, using self as a center, shows the section of 

 that dimension to which the object belongs. There is indeed 

 some tendency to confine these words to objects somewhat near ; 

 but in ^^above" and ''below" this tendency fails to appear and, 

 even in the others, bearing itself is distinctly and, I think, pri- 

 marily indicated. 



Passing now to the egocentric indication of motion, I can 

 suggest it best by reference to a line conceived as the path of 

 the moving object. On such a line it is plain that opposite 

 motions may occur. That is, in addition to given terminals, 

 motion has what may be specially known as direction. For in- 

 stance, of motion on the line A B, there are two kinds, one from 

 A to B and the other from B to A. It is obvious also that one 

 at least of these terminals must be somewhat definitely con- 

 ceived. A motion from ''here" to "there" I readily grasp in 

 its antagonism to a motion from "there" to "here." So also I 

 easily differentiate a motion from "here" to "anywhere" and 

 a motion from "anywhere" to "here." But a motion from 

 "anywhere" to "anywhere" is not in itself sufiiciently fixed to 

 permit me to conceive an opposite.^ JSTeglecting motion thus 

 unavailablv indefinite, and examining first the case in which 

 both terminals are somewhat definitelv fixed, I note that "for- 

 ward" means along a line from myself to a point in front o£ 

 me.^ "Backward" means along the same line, but in the oppo- 

 site direction. Also "backward" means along a line from my- 



^This awkward technicality I use to avoid confusion with direction, which is 

 examined later. 



*In egocentric usage the terminals of the motion line (e. g., from "here" to 

 "there") are either self or determined from self as a landmark. Contrast there- 

 with the absolute "northerly," "southerly," northeasterly," etc. 



3 It is true that in "Forward Co. A!" I reckon direction from the view-point 

 of my hearers. But this point of view, again, I merely adopt for the moment. 

 In such a phrase as "on your right" I advertise such adoption. In "Forward 

 Co. A!" I let this adoption be understood. Conf, "Sind Sie da?" and "Ich bin 

 da." (=I'm what you call da.). 



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