Cantonese Definiteness Fragment

@cite{cheng-sybesma-1999} @cite{jenks-2018}

Cantonese (ISO yue, Sinitic). Per @cite{cheng-sybesma-1999} and @cite{jenks-2018} §6, Cantonese [Clf-N] phrases occur in both unique and anaphoric definite environments. The structure is interpreted as an ambiguous definite article — same distribution as English the — making Cantonese .generallyMarked (Schwarz-style weak/strong syncretism) rather than .markedAnaphoric like Mandarin.

Examples (paper §6.1):

• (54a) Lou⁵baan² haa⁶zau³ lei⁴ gim²caa⁴ gung¹zok³ — Clf-N for larger-situation unique definite ("the boss").
• (55) Narrative sequence: anaphoric Clf-N tracks a previously introduced referent, paralleling English the politician.
• (56) Donkey: Mui⁵ go³ jau⁵ jat¹ zek³ maa⁵ ge³ nung⁴fu¹ daa² zek³ maa⁵ — Clf-N for the bound donkey reference.

This Fragment file commits the inventory; the cross-Sinitic typological contrast with Mandarin is theoremed in Phenomena/Definiteness/Studies/Jenks2018.lean.

def Fragments.Cantonese.Definiteness.articleInventory : Core.Nominal.ArticleInventory

Cantonese: [Clf-N] is the syncretic definite (like English the); the same form serves both unique and anaphoric environments. Demonstratives are restricted to a narrower anaphoric subdistribution (@cite{jenks-2018} §6 example 57).

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

theorem Fragments.Cantonese.Definiteness.articleInventory_marking : articleInventory.toMarkingStrategy = Features.Definiteness.DefMarkingStrategy.generallyMarked

Cantonese's inventory derives the .generallyMarked strategy (@cite{jenks-2018} Table 2).