Pragmatics
Deixis and Distance
What about January? (Intended meaning)
Imagine you are listening to the following conversation:
- A: When should we do it?
- B: January?
- A: January!?!
- B: January.
- A: January...
- B: January!
Surely you do not have any clue what A and B were talking about, so make up your mind and try to think of an appropriate situational context and of the possible intended meanings hidden behind the word "January".
You can find one possibility of what is intended to convey here.