Words like 'this' and 'that' act as attention tools across languages

Words like 'this' and 'that' or 'here' and 'there' occur in all languages. Researchers show that such 'demonstrative' words are used to direct listeners' focus of attention and to establish joint attention. Results from experiments with speakers of ten different languages and computational modelling reveal that demonstratives are universal tools that link language and social cognition.