Restrictions on Indexicals in Directive Clauses

We discuss the existence of a set of previously unnoticed restrictions on indexicals. Specifically, some indexicals are ruled out and others cannot freely occur in two clause types that have directive force but are distinct from canonical imperatives. These restrictions suggest that these clause types are interpreted with respect to a context that is “deficient” in some sense, or that they lack some syntactic structure needed to license these indexicals. Thus, the patterns of data we present have the potential to significantly affect the understanding of indexicality and clausal architecture.