Re: CHAT: Definite/Indefinite Article Distinction

Quoting Arthaey Angosii <arthaey@...>:

> Do all languages make a distinction between definite and indefinite
> articles, à la "the" and "a"? Assuming a language uses articles at all,
> that is.
No.  Many languages distinguish only one or the other, and many
distinguish neither obligatorily or overtly.  Generally,
if a language distinguishes only one, it marks definiteness, though
there are some (in e.g. Mayan languages) that mark indefinites
overtly, but not definites.

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Thomas Wier            "I find it useful to meet my subjects personally,
Dept. of Linguistics    because our secret police don't get it right
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