Determiner (function)
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A determiner is a noun modifier that expresses the reference of a noun or noun phrase in the context, including quantity, rather than attributes expressed by adjectives. This function is usually performed by articles, demonstratives, possessive determiners, quantifiers, cardinal numbers, or ordinal numbers.
In most Indo-European languages, determiners are either independent words or clitics that precede the rest of the noun phrase. 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).
In some constructions, such as those which use the names of school subjects ("Physics uses mathematics"), a determiner is not used. 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.
[edit] English determiners
The determiner function is usually performed by the determiner class 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 phrases (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).
