DEFINITENESS IN THE ENGLISH NOUN PHRASE

Abstract

This thesis consists of a partial description of English non phrase structure such as to show and semantic properties of certain determiners a, the, this, that, and possessive forms. The central claim description is that non-definite, noun phrases are inherently vague and are interpreted with respect to their essential context, while definite noun phrases are in certain important (respects semantically independent of the sentences which they occur. In this description, determiners in definite noun phrases are transformationally derived by rules which build up a determiner segment by the introduction of features, and which are motivated (except in one instance) by properties of the deep structure. Phrases determined by' the or a, or having no determiner, are examined in Ch.ll; contrasts in definiteness occurring in structures containing relative clausds are attributed to a difference in the identity condition on relativization. In non-definite relativization the relative pronoun originates as a definite anaphor the embedded sentence is semantically dependent on the matrix-phrase. In definite relativization the relative-pronoun originates as a non-definite antecedent, the embedded sentence is semantically independent of the matrix phrase, and is presupposed by any sentence containing the matrix phrase. When the occurs in surface structure before an unmodified noun X it is attributed to a deep structure containing a sub-structure corresponding to ‘There is an X*. Nevertheless, it is argued that the-word the does not in itself signal' a presupposition of existence.