Definite: definiteness or state
| Values: | Com | Cons | Def | Ind | Spec |
Definiteness is typically a feature of nouns, adjectives and articles. Its value distinguishes whether we are talking about something known and concrete, or something general or unknown. It can be marked on definite and indefinite articles, or directly on nouns, adjectives etc. In Arabic, definiteness is also called the “state”.
Ind: indefinite
In languages where Spec is distinguished the value Ind is interpreted as non-specific
indefinite, i.e. “any (one) stick”.
Examples
- [en] a dog
- [sv] en hund “a dog”
- [lkt] c’ą wążi ‘aų wo “put a [any] stick on [the fire]”
Spec: specific indefinite
Specific indefinite, e.g. “a certain stick”.
Occurs e.g. in Lakota.
In languages where it is used the value Ind is interpreted as non-specific
indefinite, i.e. “any (one) stick”.
Examples
- [lkt] c’ą wą ‘ag.li’ “he brought a [certain] stick”
Def: definite
Examples
- [en] the dog
- [sv] hunden “the dog”
- [lkt] c’ą kį “the stick”
Cons: construct state / reduced definiteness
Used in construct state in Arabic. If two nouns are in genitive relation, the first one (the “nomen regens”) has “reduced definiteness,” the second is the genitive and can be either definite or indefinite. Reduced form has neither the definite morpheme (article), nor the indefinite morpheme (nunation).
Note that in UD v1 this value was called Red. It has been renamed Cons in
UD v2.
Examples
- [ar] indefinite state: حلوَةٌ ḥulwatun “a sweet”; definite state: الحلوَةُ al-ḥulwatu “the sweet”; construct state: حلوَةُ ḥulwatu “sweet of”.
Com: complex
Used in improper annexation in Arabic. The genitive construction described above normally consists of two nouns (first reduced, second genitive). That is called proper annexation or iḍāfa. If the first member is an adjective or adjectivally used participle and the second member is a definite noun, the construction is called improper annexation or false iḍāfa. The result is a compound adjective that is usually used as an attributive adjunct and thus must agree in definiteness with the noun it modifies. Its first part (the adjective or participle) may get again the definite article. Although it may look the same as the form for the definite state, it is assigned a special value of complex state to reflect the different origin. See also Hajič et al. page 3.
Examples:
- [ar] مُخْتَلِفٌ muxtalifun “different/various” (active participle, Form VIII); نَوْعٌ ج أنْوَاعٌ nawˀun ja anwāˀun “kind”; مُخْتَلِفُ الأنْوَاعِ muxtalifu al-anwāˀi “of various kinds” (false iḍāfa); مَشَاكِلُ مُخْتَلِفَةُ الأنْوَاعِ mašākilu muxtalifatu al-anwāˀi “problems of various kinds”; اَلْمَشَاكِلُ الْمُخْتَلِفَةُ الأنْوَاعِ al-mašākilu al-muxtalifatu al-anwāˀi “the problems of various kinds”.
Definite in other languages: [bej] [bg] [el] [en] [es] [fr] [ga] [hu] [hy] [it] [ky] [myv] [pcm] [pt] [qpm] [sga] [sl] [sv] [tr] [u] [urj] [xcl]