In english

The semantic category of determination also finds its formal expression. Mainly with the help of articles.

The indefinite article has 2 meanings: indefiniteness ( classification) and oneness

The definite article has 2 meanings: definiteness (individualization, specification) and demonstrativeness

NB! – both articles can add to the idea of generalization, expressing its different degree with different types of nouns

The absence of the article can also be meaningful:

Before counts in the plural and uncounts it has the classifying value, like the indefinite article before other types of nouns. For this reason, the meaningful absence of the article is often called the ZERO ARTICLE

NB! Do not confuse with the cases of the omission of the article for stylistics purposes

Meaningful absence – only gram. morphemes - > article is a word-morpheme

Meaningful absence of an element occurs only for gram. form-building morphemes -> if we can speak about the morph. Marker - > form-building morpheme ->->-> -a and –the are not independent words and do not constitute a part of speech, they are word-morphemes.

-a/an/0 can be treated as allomorphs of the indefinite article opposed to the definite article;

-a boy and the boy are like analytical forms which enter some opposition (why analytical?)

->the English noun, besides the variable categories of number and case, distinguishes also the category of determination expressed by the article paradigm of three grammatical forms: the definite, the indefinite, the zero. The paradigm is generalised for the whole system of the common nouns, being transpositionally outstretched also into the system of proper nouns. Various cases of asymmetry in the realisation of this paradigm (such as the article determination of certain nouns of the types singularia tantum and pluralia tantum), similar to, and in connection with the expression of the category of number, are balanced by suppletive collocations. Cf.: 0 progress — a kind of progress, some progress — the progress; ø news — an item of news — the news, etc.

The semi-notional determiners used with nouns in the absence of articles, expose the essential article meanings as in-built in their semantic structure.

Thus, the status of the combination of the article with the noun should be defined as basically analytical, the article construction as such being localised by its segmental properties between the free syntactic combination of words (the upper bordering level) and the combination of a grammatical affix with a notional stem in the morphological composition of an indivisible word (the lower bordering level). The article itself is a special type of grammatical auxiliary.

(If) Article is a word morpheme -> there is the morph

The category exists only if there is a meaningful and formal opposition of variants of one and the same unit.

The category of Article Determination – the binary opposition which contrasts the noun with the definite article against the noun with the indef. or zero article

The boy⁺ A boy/ 0 -boys

Identification/ definitenesss non-identification/ indefiniteness

The train hooted(that train) A train hooted (some train)

The meaning of the category and the members constituting its opposition give reason to term it – the category of definiteness/ indefiniteness

BUT!

Unlike a regular gram. morpheme the article:

• Is spelt separately

• Can be separated from the noun by other words

• Its position can be occupied by other words – e.g. demonstrative and possessive pronouns

• Does not change grammatically as a real auxiliary would – Fr. Le,la,les

• Possess its own , though wide an vague lexical meaning

So the question arises if there is the morphological category of article determination

The indefinite and definite articles are essentially different in origin, semantics, combinability with different groups of nouns.

They differ in the process of structuring info: the definite article marks the theme, i.e. the starting point of commo? , the indef. article – the rheme, the central new part of info.

They show difference in their connection with the category of number.

Article and the category of number

• the definite article –show o connection

• the indefinite article – takes part in the expression of number in Enlish

• Plotkin suggests the following opposition:

A stone(sg.analytical) – stones(pl.)- stone(sg. synthetical)

1^st – a discrete single object with distinct limits

2^nd – an indiscrete entity with neither inner nor outer limits (boundaries)

So there are reasons to speak about the category of article determination which determines the type of a referent (discr./indiscr.) and involves the use of the noun with the indef. article or without it.