People around the world say ‘this’ or ‘that’ depending on whether an object is within reach or further away, research shows

Whether you say “this” or “that,” it may not seem to be here or there.

But it’s useful for someone helping their partner with a recipe or a DIY project: if they ask you to pass “that screw” or “that sharp knife,” they probably mean a screw they don’t have can reach.

When they ask for “this” item, they mean a tool or utensil that is close enough for them to obtain for themselves.

The rule that “this” generally means something close, and “that” means something far away seems to apply no matter where you are in the world, based on a new survey of 874 people who spoke 29 different languages.

Researchers asked people to describe different shapes placed on a table using phrases like “this red circle” or “that green star.”

Pictured is Professor Kenny Coventry, who led the research at the University of East Anglia

The experiment showed that the word ‘this’, or its equivalent in another language, was used 74% of the time when the shape was at a touching distance.

But it was only used 8% of the time when the object was out of range.

Professor Kenny Coventry, who led the study from the University of East Anglia, said: ‘The words this and that may seem basic, but they are hugely important.

‘They were probably among the first words created by ancient people, who had to inform others about this or that predator or food source.

“It’s useful in everyday life, when you’re cooking a meal or doing chores with someone else, to know that when they ask for ‘that’ knife, they probably mean a knife they can’t reach.”

The study, published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, involved 45 international academics studying English, Spanish, Italian, Norwegian, Japanese and Mandarin.