Determiner (class)
Encyclopedia
A determiner is a noun
-modifier that expresses the reference of a noun or noun-phrase in the context, rather than attributes expressed by adjective
s. This function is usually performed by article
s, demonstrative
s, possessive determiners, or quantifiers.
s that precede the rest of the noun phrase
(NP). In other languages, determiners are prefixed or suffixed
to the noun, or even change the noun's form. For example, in Swedish
bok "book", when definite, becomes boken "the book" (suffixed definite articles are common in Scandinavian languages), while in Romanian
caiet "notebook" becomes caietul "the notebook".
Some constructions, such as those that use names of school subjects ("Physics uses mathematics"), don't use a determiner. This condition is called the "zero determiner" instance.
X-bar theory
contends that every noun has a corresponding determiner. In a case where a noun does not have a pronounced determiner, X-bar theory hypothesizes the presence of a zero article
.
of words, but can also be filled by words from other entities:
s. Despite this tendency, determiners have a variety of functions including, in English
, modifier
s in adjective phrases and determiner phrases, and even markers of coordination
.
This word class, or part of speech, exists in many languages, including English, though most English dictionaries still classify determiners under other parts of speech. Determiners usually include article
s, and may include items like demonstrative
s, possessive determiners, quantifiers, and cardinal numbers, depending on the language.
Each of these determiners can be classified as:
Many of these can also be either or, thus allowing such pairs as (1)the (2)other one, or (1)an(2)other one. (alternatives, articles, partitives, distributives, quantifiers)
While many words belong to this lexical category
exclusively, others belong to a number of categories, for example, the pronoun
what in What is good as opposed to the determiner what in what one is good. While numerals exist as nouns, it is debated whether numerals are determiners or not. For instance, while the English numbers below 100 generally can't take a determiner, for example *"a ninety men", numerals for 100 and higher may optionally behave like nouns and take a determiner of their own, such as "a hundred men." Similarly, while pronouns like my, your, etc. function as determiners in a noun phrase, many grammars do not make the distinction between class and function and so lump these in with determiners.
For a mostly complete list, see Wiktionary.
s. There are, however, a number of key differences between such determiners and pronouns.
s that precede the rest of the noun phrase. Not all languages, however, have a lexically distinct class of determiners. Determiner functions are sometimes realized morphologically as affix
es on the noun, or by changing the noun's form. For example, Swedish
bok ("book"), when definite, becomes boken ("the book"). Definite-article suffixes are also found in the other North Germanic languages
, in Romanian
, Macedonian
and in Bulgarian
.
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
-modifier that expresses the reference of a noun or noun-phrase in the context, rather than attributes expressed by adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
s. This function is usually performed by article
Article (grammar)
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
s, demonstrative
Demonstrative
In linguistics, demonstratives are deictic words that indicate which entities a speaker refers to and distinguishes those entities from others...
s, possessive determiners, or quantifiers.
Function
In most Indo-European languages, determiners are either independent words or cliticClitic
In morphology and syntax, a clitic is a morpheme that is grammatically independent, but phonologically dependent on another word or phrase. It is pronounced like an affix, but works at the phrase level...
s that precede the rest of the noun phrase
Noun phrase
In grammar, a noun phrase, nominal phrase, or nominal group is a phrase based on a noun, pronoun, or other noun-like word optionally accompanied by modifiers such as adjectives....
(NP). In other languages, determiners are prefixed or suffixed
Affix
An affix is a morpheme that is attached to a word stem to form a new word. Affixes may be derivational, like English -ness and pre-, or inflectional, like English plural -s and past tense -ed. They are bound morphemes by definition; prefixes and suffixes may be separable affixes...
to the noun, or even change the noun's form. For example, in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
bok "book", when definite, becomes boken "the book" (suffixed definite articles are common in Scandinavian languages), while in Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
caiet "notebook" becomes caietul "the notebook".
Some constructions, such as those that use names of school subjects ("Physics uses mathematics"), don't use a determiner. This condition is called the "zero determiner" instance.
X-bar theory
X-bar theory
X-bar theory is a component of linguistic theory which attempts to identify syntactic features presumably common to all those human languages that fit in a presupposed framework...
contends that every noun has a corresponding determiner. In a case where a noun does not have a pronounced determiner, X-bar theory hypothesizes the presence of a zero article
Zero (linguistics)
A zero, in linguistics, is a constituent needed in an analysis but not realized in speech. This implies that there is a lack of an element where a theory would expect one. It is usually written with the symbol "", in Unicode .There are several kind of zeros....
.
English determiners
The determiner function is usually performed by the determiner classDeterminer (class)
A determiner is a noun-modifier that expresses the reference of a noun or noun-phrase in the context, rather than attributes expressed by adjectives...
of words, but can also be filled by words from other entities:
- Basic determiners are words from the determiner class (e.g. the girl, those pencils) or determiner phraseDeterminer phraseIn linguistics, a determiner phrase is a syntactic category, a phrase headed by a determiner. The noun phrase is strictly speaking a determiner phrase, and NP designates a constituent of the noun phrase, taken to be the complement of the determiner. This is opposed to the traditional view that...
s (e.g. almost all people, more than two problems). - Subject determiners are possessive noun phrases (e.g. his daughter, the boy's friend).
- Minor determiners are plain NPs (e.g. what colour carpet, this size shoes) and prepositional phrases (under twenty meters, up to twelve people).
Determiner Class
A determiner establishes the reference of a noun or noun-phrase, including quantity, rather than its attributes as expressed by adjectiveAdjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
s. Despite this tendency, determiners have a variety of functions including, in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, modifier
Modifier
Modifier may refer to:* Grammatical modifier, a word that modifies the meaning of another word or limits its meaning* Dangling modifier, a word or phrase that modifies a clause in an ambiguous manner...
s in adjective phrases and determiner phrases, and even markers of coordination
Coordination
Coordination is the act of coordinating, making different people or things work together for a goal or effect to fulfill desired goals in an organization.Coordination is a managerial function in which different activities of the business are properly adjusted and interlinked.Coordination may also...
.
This word class, or part of speech, exists in many languages, including English, though most English dictionaries still classify determiners under other parts of speech. Determiners usually include article
Article (grammar)
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
s, and may include items like demonstrative
Demonstrative
In linguistics, demonstratives are deictic words that indicate which entities a speaker refers to and distinguishes those entities from others...
s, possessive determiners, quantifiers, and cardinal numbers, depending on the language.
English determiners
Determiners, in English, form a closed class of words that number about 50 (not counting the cardinal numerals) and include:- Alternative determiners: another, other, somebody else, different
- ArticlesArticle (grammar)An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
: a, an, the - Cardinal numberNames of numbers in EnglishEnglish numerals are words for numbers used in English-speaking cultures.-Cardinal numbers: Cardinal numbers refer to the size of a group....
s: zero, one, two, fifty, infinite, etc. - Degree determiners/Partitive determiners: many, much, few, little, couple, several, most
- DemonstrativeDemonstrativeIn linguistics, demonstratives are deictic words that indicate which entities a speaker refers to and distinguishes those entities from others...
s: this, that, these, those, which - Disjunctive determiners: either, neither
- Distributive determiners: each, every
- Elective determiners: any, either, whichever
- Equative determiners: the same
- Evaluative determiners: such, that, soSOSO may refer to:* So , the romanisation of the Japanese kana そ and ソ* Superintending Officer in Construction* Somalia ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code** .so, the top-level Internet domain of Somalia* Somali language,...
- Exclamative determiners: what eyes!
- Existential determiners: some, any
- Interrogative and relative determiners: which, what, whichever, whatever
- Multal determiners: a lot of, many, several, much
- Negative determiners: no, neither
- Paucal determiners: a few, a little, some
- Personal determiners: we teachers, you guys
- Possessive determiners: my, your, our, his, her, etc.
- QuantifiersQuantificationQuantification has several distinct senses. In mathematics and empirical science, it is the act of counting and measuring that maps human sense observations and experiences into members of some set of numbers. Quantification in this sense is fundamental to the scientific method.In logic,...
: all, few, many, several, some, every, each, any, no, etc. - Sufficiency determiners: enough, sufficient, plenty
- Uniquitive determiners: the only, the, this, that, these, those
- Universal determiners: all, both
Each of these determiners can be classified as:
- Definite determiners, which limit their reference back to a specific already-established entity, or one whose identity can universally be taken for granted. (cardinals, demonstratives, equatives, evaluatives, exclamatives, relatives, personals, possessives, uniquitives)
- Indefinite determiners, which broaden their referent to one not previously specified, or otherwise newly introduced into discourse. (disjunctives, electives, existentials, interrogatives, negatives, universals)
Many of these can also be either or, thus allowing such pairs as (1)the (2)other one, or (1)an(2)other one. (alternatives, articles, partitives, distributives, quantifiers)
While many words belong to this lexical category
Lexical category
In grammar, a part of speech is a linguistic category of words , which is generally defined by the syntactic or morphological behaviour of the lexical item in question. Common linguistic categories include noun and verb, among others...
exclusively, others belong to a number of categories, for example, the pronoun
Pronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...
what in What is good as opposed to the determiner what in what one is good. While numerals exist as nouns, it is debated whether numerals are determiners or not. For instance, while the English numbers below 100 generally can't take a determiner, for example *"a ninety men", numerals for 100 and higher may optionally behave like nouns and take a determiner of their own, such as "a hundred men." Similarly, while pronouns like my, your, etc. function as determiners in a noun phrase, many grammars do not make the distinction between class and function and so lump these in with determiners.
For a mostly complete list, see Wiktionary.
Differences from adjectives
Traditional English grammar does not include determiners and calls most determiners adjectives. There are, however, a number of key differences between determiners and adjectives. (The [*] indicates intentionally incorrect grammar.)- In English, articles, demonstratives, and possessive determiners cannot co-occur in the same phrase, while any number of adjectives are typically allowed.
- A big green English book
-
* The his book
- Most determiners cannot occur alone in predicativePredicative (adjectival or nominal)In grammar, a predicative is an element of the predicate of a sentence that supplements the subject or object by means of the verb. A predicative may be nominal or adjectival . If the complement after a linking verb is a noun or a pronoun, it is called a predicate nominative...
complement position; most adjectives can.- He is happy.
-
* He is the.
- Most determiners are not gradable, while adjectives typically are.
- happy, happier, happiest
- (However in colloquial usage an English speaker might say [eg] "This is very much my house" for emphasis)
- Some determiners have corresponding pronouns, while adjectives don't.
- Each likes something different.
-
* Big likes something different.
- Adjectives can modify singular or plural nouns, while some determiners can only modify one or the other.
- a big person / big people
- many people /
* many person
- Adjectives are never obligatory, while determiners often are.
Differences from pronouns
Determiners such as this, all, and some can often occur without a noun. In traditional grammar, these are called pronounPronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...
s. There are, however, a number of key differences between such determiners and pronouns.
- Pronouns may occur in tag questionTag questionA question tag or tag question is a grammatical structure in which a declarative statement or an imperative is turned into a question by adding an interrogative fragment . For example, in the sentence "You're John, aren't you?", the statement "You're John" is turned into a question by the tag...
s. Determiners cannot.- This is delicious, isn't it?
-
* This is delicious, isn't this?
- In phrasal verbs, pronouns must appear between the verb and particle. Determiners may occur after the particle.
- pick it up
-
* pick up it - pick this up
- pick up this
Other realisations
In English, and in many other Indo-European languages, determiners are either independent words or cliticClitic
In morphology and syntax, a clitic is a morpheme that is grammatically independent, but phonologically dependent on another word or phrase. It is pronounced like an affix, but works at the phrase level...
s that precede the rest of the noun phrase. Not all languages, however, have a lexically distinct class of determiners. Determiner functions are sometimes realized morphologically as affix
Affix
An affix is a morpheme that is attached to a word stem to form a new word. Affixes may be derivational, like English -ness and pre-, or inflectional, like English plural -s and past tense -ed. They are bound morphemes by definition; prefixes and suffixes may be separable affixes...
es on the noun, or by changing the noun's form. For example, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
bok ("book"), when definite, becomes boken ("the book"). Definite-article suffixes are also found in the other North Germanic languages
North Germanic languages
The North Germanic languages or Scandinavian languages, the languages of Scandinavians, make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages, along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages...
, in Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
, Macedonian
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
and in Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
.
See also
- Noun phraseNoun phraseIn grammar, a noun phrase, nominal phrase, or nominal group is a phrase based on a noun, pronoun, or other noun-like word optionally accompanied by modifiers such as adjectives....
- Determiner phraseDeterminer phraseIn linguistics, a determiner phrase is a syntactic category, a phrase headed by a determiner. The noun phrase is strictly speaking a determiner phrase, and NP designates a constituent of the noun phrase, taken to be the complement of the determiner. This is opposed to the traditional view that...
- SpecifierSpecifierIn X-bar theory in linguistics, specifiers, head words, and complements together form phrases. Specifiers differ from complements because they are not sisters of the head, but rather sisters of the phrase formed by the head and the complement...
- Classifier (linguistics)Classifier (linguistics)A classifier, in linguistics, sometimes called a measure word, is a word or morpheme used in some languages to classify the referent of a countable noun according to its meaning. In languages that have classifiers, they are often used when the noun is being counted or specified...