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Do indefinite/non-specific nominals commonly have indefinite/non-specific articles?

Summary

For this feature, we need explicit support that indefinite/non-specific NPs commonly occur with an indefinite/non-specific article. Three or more examples of indefinite/non-specific nominals occurring with an indefinite/non-specific article is sufficient to code 1.

An indefinite article is a marker that accompanies the indefinite noun and expresses notions such as non-specificity and indefiniteness. Sometimes these notions of non-specificity and indefiniteness are summed up in the term ‘identifiability’. A language does not necessarily have both a non-specific/indefinite and a specific/definite marker. These markers often stem from very different sources (numerals and demonstratives) and need not be similar in formal expression or position.

The formal expression is irrelevant; articles can be free, bound, or marked by suprasegmental markers such as tone. Articles are different from demonstratives in that demonstratives occur in a paradigm of markers that have a clear spatial deictic function. As demonstratives can grammaticalize into definite or specific articles, they form a natural continuum, making it hard to define discrete categories. Articles are more grammaticalized, i.e. are often obligatory in certain contexts that require definite or specific reference. Definite or specific articles can also grammaticalize from pronouns meaning ‘a certain’. As articles necessarily accompany nouns, it is in these cases that it is necessary to investigate whether the marker can occur independently or not; if it can it is most likely a pronoun and not an article. Articles can be homophonous with pronouns and demonstratives, and also with classifiers.

Procedure

Code 1 if indefinite NPs commonly occur with an indefinite/non-specific article. Three or more examples are sufficient.
Code 1 if there is evidence (three or more examples) of a demonstrative or numeral for 1 that has grammaticalized into an indefinite article. Look for explicit analysis from the author that they are indefinite articles or look at the environments in which they occur, for example, whether they occur in different positions depending on whether they are functioning as an indefinite article or not.
Code 0 if there are no indefinite articles.
Code 0 if there are less than three examples of indefinite/non-specific articles occurring with indefinite NPs and note this in the comments.
Code ? if it is unclear whether there are indefinite articles due to limited analysis from the author or because there are not enough examples.

Examples

Oksapmin (ISO 639-3: opm, Glottolog: oksa1245)

Coded 1. The demonstrative tit is used for indefinite referents. The indefinite demonstrative is in complementary distribution with the other demonstratives described within the grammar and the author lists examples of these distributions. Interestingly, tit likely originated from the (now extinct) numeral one. The author states that this is not surprising "as the numeral one is a common source for indefinite articles cross-linguistically" (Loughnane 2009: 120–123, 178–179).

xan  tit   ox     niŋ           tup   ml         mde-xi-p=li=a
man  INDF  3SG.M  small.mammal  trap  MAKE(.SEQ) come.across-PFV-EVID.REMPST.SG=HSY=a
‘They say that a man came across (from the other side of Tekin river) to make a trap
and hunt small mammals.’ (Loughnane 2009: 121)

Njanga (Glottolog: njan1240)

Coded 1. Njanga marks indefiniteness with the numeral one má:n. The language has also adopted from Sundani an indefinite article suffix -kè Example 1 below shows that if there is only one house and the speaker wants to express this, then the numeral one is omitted. To indicate that an unidentified house has been built, the indefinite numeral one is used (Robson 2011: 108).

a. wū   bàr-kɨ̄       jòː
   3SG  build-COMPL  house
   ‘He built (one) house.’ (Robson 2011: 111)

b. wū   bàr-kɨ̄       jòː     máːn
   3SG  build-COMPL  house   INDF
   ‘He built a house.’ (not identified) (Robson 2011: 111)

Limbu (ISO 639-3: lif, Glottolog: limb1266)

Coded 1. The numeral one thik precedes the noun when functioning as a numeral, as in (b). In (a), it is suffixed when it functions as an indefinite article.

a.   yaŋ-dhik     pi·r-aŋ-ɛʔ
     money-INDF   give-lSG.P-IMP
     ‘Give me a rupee.’ (van Driem 1987: 32)

b.  thik  yaŋ    la·bdzo·k
    one   money  costs 
    ‘It costs one rupee.’ (van Driem 1987: 32)

Assiniboine (ISO 639-3: asb, Glottolog: assi1247)

Coded 0. Assiniboine does not have definite or indefinite articles, and the following examples are very common. Example 2 may also have an indefinite or mixed definite and indefinite reading. For example, 'a boy hit a ball,' 'the boy hit a ball,' and 'a boy hit the ball.' (Cumberland 2005: 345–347)

a. tʰaspą  awótapi aką́n   ø-yąká
   apple   table   on     3SG.A-sit
   ‘the apple is on the table’ (Cumberland 2005: 345)

b. hokšína  tʰápa   a-ø-ø-pʰá
   boy      ball    hit-3SG.P-3SG.A-hit
   ‘the boy hit the ball’ (Cumberland 2005: 345)

References

Cumberland, Linda A. 2005. A grammar of Assiniboine: A Siouan Language of the Northern Plains (Montana, Saskatchewan). Bloomington: Indiana University. (Doctoral dissertation.)

Loughnane, Robyn. 2009. A grammar of Oksapmin. Melbourne: University of Melbourne. (Doctoral dissertation.)

Robson, Laura. 2011. The documentation of the language ecology of Njanga, a moribund language of Cameroon. Kent: University of Kent. (Doctoral dissertation.)

van Driem, George. 1987. A grammar of Limbu. (Mouton Grammar Library, 4.) Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Related Features

Patron

Jay Latarche and Jeremy Collins