egocentric particular deictic expression egressive [Lat. egressus ‘the action of going out’]

Cognitive theoretical distinction made in semiotics (of linguistic signs). The eidetic sense of a sign derives from its semantic relations to objects and states of affairs in the real world (i.e. its semantic function) as well as to other signs; it is determined by the semantics of a language. In contrast, the operative sense derives from the rules of usage (i.e. operations) for linguistic signs, which are established on the level of syntax. This distinction is particularly relevant in the natural sciences, e.g. a scientist may perform operations using signs without a concrete eidetic sense (e.g. in mathematics with negative numbers). On the other hand, computers are only able to work with the operative sense of signs; completely new eidetic senses can be derived from the corresponding (syntactic) operations or at least narrowed down from them.