Self-reflexivity

self-ref·er·en·tial

(sĕlf′rĕf′ə-rĕn′shəl)

adj.

Referring to oneself or itself: The biographer's account of the poet's life was surprisingly self-referential.


self′-ref′er·ence n.

self′-ref′er·en′tial·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

self′-ref′erence

n.

reference made to oneself, to one's own character or experience, or to a group with which one identifies.

self′-referen′tial, self′-refer′ring, adj.

usage: Social, ethnic, or other groups often use terms of self-reference in a neutral, even affectionate or jocular way, much like nicknames. However, when used by outsiders, these very same terms may be perceived as highly offensive. Examples of self-referential terms are nigger, geek, Canuck, conch, queer.

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