Determiner (function)

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.

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).

See also

* Determiner phrase

External links

* [http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsADeterminer.htm SIL Glossary of linguistic terms - What is a determiner?]