Re: CHAT: Definite/Indefinite Article Distinction

| -----Original Message-----
| From: Arthaey Angosii
| Subject: Definite/Indefinite Article Distinction
|
| 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.
| Arthaey
|

        I imagine there is a way to make the distinction semantically (I
think that's the word, "through implied meaning"), but not all article
systems work the same. I can't imagine a language not making a distinction
between a specific item in a group/class and any item in the group/class,
but they don't always work the same way as English.

        I'm not claiming fluency in any of these, but...

        In Esperanto, there is a definite article, "la", and no indefinite
article. "Knabo" is "child" or "a child". Also, whereas English tends to use
the plural without an article to indicate a general class or abstraction ("I
don't like dogs."), Esperanto will use "la" with the plural ("Ne placxas al
mi la hundoj.").

        Arabic does not have an indefinite article. The definite article is
"al", though before some letters the "l" drops and the first consonant of
the word doubles. If I remember correctly, al+salam (peace) becomes assalam.
The "l" is written, but the doubled consonant can have a shadda
(consonant-doubling mark) over it (if the writer decides to include
shadda's, it's usually optional).
        Also in Arabic, "al" is used for emphasis, when in English we
wouldn't use a definite article. For example, it's sometimes used before
place names. Also (and this is from memory, forgive me if I'm off), it can
be used for emphasis.
        For example, imagine you baked an apple pie which was tart. Someone
asks you what makes the pie tart instead of very sweet. In English, you
would say "I used sour apples." In Arabic, you would say, "I used *the* sour
apples." The "the" (or "al") would emphasize that you used sour or Granny
Smith apples as opposed to Fijan, Vermont Delicious, Golden Delicious, or
another type. However, in English, this would sound like you used the only
available Granny Smith apples.
        (Ok, now I'm craving my mother's Granny Smith apple pie....)

        Hawaiian has an indefinite (he) and definite (ke / ka) article. In
general, for a noun that is not a name or place, you always use an article
or dactyl (this, that, your, my) with nouns. It's usually so you don't think
the noun is a verb.
        "noho" = "sit"; "e noho" = "sit!"; "he noho" = "a chair/seat" ; "ka
noho" = "the chair"
        "E noho i ka noho!" = "Sit in the chair!"
        Anyway, the cutoff isn't quite the same between Hawaiian he/ka and
English a/the. Unfortunately, school interrupted my study of Hawaiian, but
the books said "ka" could be used for emphasis, like the Arabic example
above, and is generally used in more situations than English would use
"the". There seems more leeway as to what counts as "definite".

        Japanese doesn't have articles. The dactyls kore/sore/are and
kono/sono/ano are sometimes used like a definite article, though they both
basically mean this/that/that over yonder. (If I remember correctly, "kore"
is a non-possessed thing, and "kono" is a possessed thing.

        Classical Latin also doesn't have articles, sort of. (Ok, this is
dredging up memories from high school...) There are words for "this" and
"that", I think ille/illa/illud and qui/quae/quod. There is a third set,
is/ea/id, which is a weak, "less definitive" version of the two above. The
is/ea/id is often used like a definitive article.


        Well, I hope I didn't just make a total fool of myself. My memory is
sometimes off.

______________________________________
Mike Karapcik   *       Tampa, FL
Network Analyst *       USF campus
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Research Center
ConlangCode: v1.1 CIT !h+ !u cG:M:R:S:G a+ y n30:3
B+++/R:Wic A+ E+ N1 Is/d K ia-:+ p-- s- m o P S----

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