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Re: Probability of Article Replacement?

From:Peter Bleackley <peter.bleackley@...>
Date:Monday, March 3, 2003, 10:20
Staving Doug Dee:
>In a message dated 3/1/2003 2:07:43 AM Eastern Standard Time, >czhang23@AOL.COM writes: > > >> This is an interesting topic... I searched thru my ConLang "Syntax" >> notes >>and found this - written by David E. Bell: >> >>amman iar definite determiners distinguish four levels of definiteness. >(snip description) > >Interesting. My (still very sketchy) principal conlang has 4 kinds of >article: > >1. Definite: "The dog bit me." >2. Generic: "The dog was the first animal domesticated by humans." "Dogs >are mammals." >3. Specific indefinite: "I'm looking for a dog. (It was here a minute ago; >it must have run off.)" >4. Nonspecific indefinite: "I'm looking for a dog. (I haven't had one >since I was a child; I'd like to get one again.)"
This has given me an idea for a four way definiteness distinction. 1. Definite to speaker. 2. Definite to hearer. 3. Definite to all. 4. Indefinite. I may need to add a fifth category, for "definite to some members of a group of hearers, but not others." Pete Bleackley

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Jake X <starvingpoet@...>