Peter Bleackley scripsit:
> Are there any languages that mark a definite/indefinite distinction by
> means other than articles?
Arabic marks indefiniteness with an inflection; Persian marks definiteness
with an inflection. IIRC.
> but that's restricting a particular grammatical role (the topic)
> to definite things, rather than marking definitiveness as such.
An indefinite topic would be a contradiction in terms.
--
John Cowan http://www.ccil.org/~cowan jcowan@reutershealth.com
To say that Bilbo's breath was taken away is no description at all. There are
no words left to express his staggerment, since Men changed the language that
they learned of elves in the days when all the world was wonderful. --The Hobbit