A description's discourse status (Section 5.3) is no topic, a continuing topic or a new one.
Derives DecidableEq, Repr.
Used by BareLicit, instDecidableBareLicit, not_bareLicit_of_indexAvailable, Row, topicOf
Docs / Studies / Studies.Jenks2018
Articulated Definiteness without Articles
Jenks, P. (2018). Linguistic Inquiry, 49(3), 501–536
Jenks argues that Mandarin, which has no definite article, still distinguishes Schwarz's two definites: a unique definite is a bare noun read by Chierchia's covert ι, and an anaphoric definite is a demonstrative description whose demonstrative supplies the index of ι^x (22). Three principles over a language's determiner inventory derive the distribution. The Blocking Principle (23) makes ι available exactly when no overt determiner marks uniqueness, as in Mandarin but not in Cantonese, whose [Clf-N] marks both presuppositions; ι^x is never a covert shift (Section 4.2); and Index! (50) requires the indexed form wherever an index is available, unless the description is a continuing topic (Section 5.3). The types of Table 2 are read off these principles: a presupposition is marked where the bare noun cannot express it, so a marked uniqueness brings a marked familiarity and no language marks uniqueness alone.
Implementation notes
- The Blocking Principle (23) is the theory layer's, under which an article blocks ι when it marks
uniqueness and a demonstrative blocks nothing. No definite article selects a number, so ι is
blocked for a bare noun of any number exactly when it is lexicalized
(
Determiner.Inventory.blocks_iff_lexicalizes). - The environments are the paper's six, read as
DefiniteDescription.Uses, the donkey environment being an anaphoric use under quantification, and mapped to Schwarz's presupposition types byDefiniteDescription.Use.strength. The marked form is the language's form for the environment's presupposition: an article marking it or, for familiarity, a demonstrative, whose description is the strong article's. Cantonese's restricted demonstrative (57) is not modelled. - Jenks types the index of ι^x as a property (Section 4.4);
DefiniteDescription.anaphoriccarries an individual index, so Section 4.4 is not formalized.
References
- Jenks 2018, Articulated Definiteness without Articles
- Schwarz 2009, Two Types of Definites in Natural Language formalized
- Schwarz 2013, Two Kinds of Definites Cross-linguistically formalized
- Chierchia 1998, Reference to Kinds across Language formalized
Environments and principles
An index is available exactly in the environments licensed by familiarity, Section 5.1: prior mention of the referent or, in producer-product bridging, of its argument.
- IndexAvailable env = (env.strength = DefiniteDescription.Strength.familiarity)
Used by instDecidableIndexAvailable, not_bareLicit_of_indexAvailable
An inventory has a form for a presupposition when an article marks it or, for familiarity,
when it has a demonstrative, whose description is the strong article's
(DemonstrativeDeterminer.denote_selector_eq_anaphoric) and so supplies the index of ι^x.
- HasForm inv DefiniteDescription.Strength.uniqueness = inv.Marks DefiniteDescription.Strength.uniqueness
- HasForm inv DefiniteDescription.Strength.familiarity = (inv.Marks DefiniteDescription.Strength.familiarity ∨ inv.Realizes NominalKind.demonstrative)
Used by instDecidablePredStrengthHasForm, MarkedLicit, not_bareLicit_of_indexAvailable, marked_familiarity_iff
The definition is too large to print here; read it in the source.
Built from
The bare noun is licit when the Blocking Principle (23) leaves ι available, no overt determiner marking uniqueness, and, by Index! (50), no indexed form competes, or when the description is a continuing topic (Section 5.3).
The definition is too large to print here; read it in the source.
Built from
Used by instDecidableBareLicit, not_bareLicit_of_indexAvailable, rows_agree, Marked
Used in AhnZhu2025, Moroney2021
The marked form is licit when the inventory has a form for the environment's presupposition.
- MarkedLicit inv env = HasForm inv env.strength
Built from
Used by instDecidableMarkedLicit, rows_agree
- instDecidableIndexAvailable env = id inferInstance
Built from
(inv : Determiner.Inventory) (env : DefiniteDescription.Use) (t : Topic) :
Decidable (BareLicit inv env t)
- instDecidableBareLicit inv env t = id inferInstance
Built from ,
- instDecidableMarkedLicit inv env = id inferInstance
Built from
{inv : Determiner.Inventory} {env : DefiniteDescription.Use} {t : Topic} (h : IndexAvailable env) (hm : HasForm inv DefiniteDescription.Strength.familiarity) (ht : t ≠ Topic.continuing) :
¬BareLicit inv env t
Built from , , ,
Type-shifting under blocking
Mandarin has no overt exponent of uniqueness, so its bare nouns are unique definites by the covert ι.
Cantonese [Clf-N] marks uniqueness, so its bare nouns have no definite shift.
The data
A row records the language's inventory, the environment, the discourse status, and the judgments on the bare and the marked form where the paper gives them.
- inventory : Determiner.Inventory
- env : DefiniteDescription.Use
- topic : Topic
- bare : Option Bool
- marked : Option Bool
Built from
Used by Row.ofDatum, rows, rows_agree
Equations
- envOf "largerSituation" = some DefiniteDescription.Use.largerSituation
- envOf "immediateSituation" = some DefiniteDescription.Use.immediateSituation
- envOf "partWholeBridging" = some (DefiniteDescription.Use.bridging DefiniteDescription.Bridging.partWhole)
- envOf "producerBridging" = some (DefiniteDescription.Use.bridging DefiniteDescription.Bridging.relational)
- envOf "anaphoric" = some DefiniteDescription.Use.anaphoric
- envOf "donkey" = some DefiniteDescription.Use.anaphoric
- envOf x✝ = none
- topicOf "none" = some Topic.none
- topicOf "continuing" = some Topic.continuing
- topicOf "new" = some Topic.new
- topicOf x✝ = none
Built from
A row from the paper's features.
The definition is too large to print here; read it in the source.
Built from
Used by rows
The Mandarin data of Sections 3 and 5 and the Cantonese data of Section 6.
- rows = List.filterMap Row.ofDatum Examples.all
Built from ,
Used by rows_agree
A judgment, where the paper gives one, agrees with a prediction.
Used by instDecidableAgrees, rows_agree
- instDecidableAgrees p none = { decide := true, reflects_decide := ⋯ }
- instDecidableAgrees p (some b) = { decide := decide p == decide (b = true), reflects_decide := ⋯ }
Built from
Row by row, the paper judges the bare noun licit exactly when BareLicit holds and the marked
form exactly when MarkedLicit does ((10), (20), (49), (51), (56)).
(r : Row) :
Built from , , , ,
Demonstratives are strict (Section 4.3)
{E W : Type} (R : DefiniteDescription.Restrictor E W) (d : ℕ) (g : Assignment E) (s : W) (x : E) :
Denotes.denote (DefiniteDescription.demonstrative R d) g s = some x ↔ R g s (g d) ∧ x = g d
A demonstrative cannot covary through the situation pronoun, its referents at any two situations coinciding.
{E W : Type} (R : DefiniteDescription.Restrictor E W) (d : ℕ) (g : Assignment E) {s s' : W} {x x' : E} (h : Denotes.denote (DefiniteDescription.demonstrative R d) g s = some x) (h' : Denotes.denote (DefiniteDescription.demonstrative R d) g s' = some x') :
x = x'
The bare noun's covert ι does covary. Over the restrictor true of the situation itself, the bare noun denotes each situation at that situation, so distinct situations give distinct referents.
{W : Type} (g : Assignment W) (s : W) :
Denotes.denote (DefiniteDescription.bare fun (x : Assignment W) (s x_1 : W) => x_1 = s) g s = some s
The typology (Table 2)
A presupposition is marked when, outside a topic, the bare noun cannot express it in the environments that call for it.
- Marked inv p = ∀ (env : DefiniteDescription.Use), env.strength = p → ¬BareLicit inv env Topic.none
Built from
Used by marked_uniqueness_iff, marked_familiarity_iff, instDecidablePredStrengthMarked, isUpperSet_marked, not_isMarkedUnique, table2
Used in Moroney2021
(inv : Determiner.Inventory) :
Built from
(inv : Determiner.Inventory) :
Built from ,
The definition is too large to print here; read it in the source.
Built from
Since a bare noun without ι has no definite reading, a marked uniqueness brings a marked familiarity: the marked presuppositions form an upper set in every language (p. 530).
Built from
A generally marked inventory marks both presuppositions with one form.
- IsGenerallyMarked M ds = (M DefiniteDescription.Strength.uniqueness ∧ M DefiniteDescription.Strength.familiarity ∧ ds.IsSyncretic)
Used by table2
Used in Moroney2021
A bipartite inventory marks both presuppositions, with distinct forms.
- IsBipartite M ds = (M DefiniteDescription.Strength.uniqueness ∧ M DefiniteDescription.Strength.familiarity ∧ ¬ds.IsSyncretic)
Used by table2
Used in Moroney2021
A marked-unique inventory marks the unique presupposition only.
- IsMarkedUnique M = (M DefiniteDescription.Strength.uniqueness ∧ ¬M DefiniteDescription.Strength.familiarity)
Used by not_isMarkedUnique
Used in Moroney2021
A marked-anaphoric inventory marks the anaphoric presupposition only.
- IsMarkedAnaphoric M = (¬M DefiniteDescription.Strength.uniqueness ∧ M DefiniteDescription.Strength.familiarity)
Used by table2
Used in Moroney2021
Built from ,
The fragments derive Table 2's columns, German being bipartite, Mandarin and Akan marked anaphoric, and Cantonese and English generally marked.
Built from , , ,