Gotcha!
Sally Caves
scaves@frontiernet.net
Eskkoat ol ai sendran, rohsan nuehra celyil takrem bomai nakuo.
"My shadow follows me, putting strange, new roses into the world."
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Cowan" <cowan@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Monday, March 31, 2003 12:59 AM
Subject: Re: definite/indefinite articles
> Sally Caves scripsit:
>
> > The definite or indefinite articles not only give information about the
> > specificity of a thing (has it been mentioned before? is it new? is it
right
> > here?),
>
> Definiteness isn't quite the same as specificity, though they are related.
> Definiteness has to do with whether the listener is expected to be able
> to determine what is referred to: when I say "A man went into the room",
> I don't expect you to know what man I mean, whereas if I say "The man
> went into the room", I do expect it.
>
> Specificity, on the other hand, has to do with whether the listener can
> apply independent standards to determine what is referred to, or the
> only useful source of understanding is the speaker. In general,
definiteness
> implies specificity, but not vice versa. In particular, "A certain man"
> is indefinite (as the article shows) but specific: you can't tell which
man
> is meant unless you ask the speaker.
>
> ObConlang: Lojban marks specificity on its articles, which come in
> specific and non-specific flavors; the marking of definiteness is optional
> and usually omitted.
>
> Kudos to And for explaining this distinction to me and the Lojban
community
cowan@ccil.org
> 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_
>