Freedom of/from...this/that

[giggle]

I have two questions. First would be... What is the difference between freedom of and freedom from?? The second is... What is the difference of this is and that is? Like "This is a dog." vs "That is a dog." ????

Thanks for your help.

[Barb_D]

If you enjoy "freedom of speech," you can say whatever you like, without fear of prosecution. (Within limits, actually. You can't say "I'm carrying a bomb" while on an airplane, but you could say "The president is a bum.") It gives you the freedom to speak whatever is on your mind.

If you enjoy Freedom FROM something, you do not have to worry about that thing having a bad effect on you. "Freedom from want" means that you do not suffer deprivation. "Freedom from unreasonable search" means that you can't be stopped and searched for no reason.

This: I'm holding it, or it's right in front of me.
That: I'm pointing to it, or if's further away.

[Linguist__]

(Not a teacher)

1. 'Freedom of X' means the freedom to do whatever 'X' is. "Freedom of speech", for example, is the ability to speak without constraints of what you can and cannot say (or so it should be).

'Freedom from X' means being released/relieved from whatever X is. For example, "I hope that there will be freedom from hunger in developing countries." meaning that hunger will cease.

I hope that is clear.

2. These are demonstratives of place. 'This' is a deictic term of place meaning "The thing that is close to the speaker of the utterance". 'That' is the equivalent deictic term of place meaning 'The thing that is away from the speaker of the utterance'.

Both require the listener to know where the speaker is to know where the thing the speaker is talking about is. 'That' also requires the speaker to indicate where 'that' is, usually by pointing.

Both have singular and plural forms:

This - singular
These - plural

That - singular
Those - plural

You will have similar deictic terms in your own language, as deixis is an aspect that exists in all languages. Which deictic terms exists differ between languages.

Some languages have more terms, for example 'That thing which is far away from both the speaker and the listener'.

Indeed, English once (and still does in some dialects) had deictic terms to mean 'The thing which is both far away from the speaker and the listener' - 'yon' and 'yonder'.