Definiteness

This final chapter will examine a number of more general theoretical implications arising from the present study. The first of these has to do with the theory of definiteness as a whole.

The analysis of definiteness I have put forward is a componential one. That is, it argues that definiteness is not a primitive, unitary concept, but is itself analysable into components. In both languages one such component has to do with quantity: quantity (±all) is thus seen as a primary term, and definiteness as a secondary one. Another component (locatability) has to do partly with what has loosely been termed reference (but see below, 9.2). A further component which is relevant to definiteness in English is extensivity, which roughly means the degree of abstraction or generality of a concept (see 2.3).

These components are of rather different kinds, partly pragmatic and partly semantic (see 9.4 below). In Hawkins' (1978) location theory, which has been a major source of inspiration for the present study, definiteness is also seen componentially, in terms of locatability and inclusiveness. Hawkins sees locatability as a pragmatic feature and inclusiveness as semantic. However, I have shown (2.2.2) that inclusiveness is also largely a matter of pragmatics. The only component that one might argue to be purely semantic is extensivity, which is not included in Hawkins' analysis at all.