On Definiteness A Study ith Special Reference to English and Finnish [Hardcover]

This 1991 book proposes a new theory of definiteness in language.This 1991 book proposes a theory of definiteness, based on an analysis of the rich system of articles in English, and of the ways in which definiteness is inferred rather than expressed in Finnish.This 1991 book proposes a theory of definiteness, based on an analysis of the rich system of articles in English, and of the ways in which definiteness is inferred rather than expressed in Finnish.This book proposes a new theory of definiteness in language. It argues that definiteness should be viewed as a cover-term comprising three basic oppositions within the areas of familiarity (locatability), quantity (inclusiveness) and generality (extensivity). Further, the oppositions are not discrete but scalar, and lend themselves to characterization in terms of fuzzy set theory. Dr. Chesterman examines these themes, firstly by drawing on several traditions of research on the rich system of articles in English, and then by looking at how the concept of definiteness is realized in Finnish, a language that has no articles and typically leaves definiteness to be inferred by a variety of means. On Definiteness provides a thorough and sensitive discussion of an intricate semantic problem. It highlights two important theoretical points: the fuzziness of the linguistic concept of definiteness, and the differences among languages in the ways in which they draw the line between syntax, semantics and pragmatics.1. Introduction; 2. English articles: the research traditions; 3. English article usage; 4. A unified description of the English articles; 5. Finnish: no articles; 6. Finnish spesies; 7. The status of definiteness in Finnish; 8. English and Finnish contrasted; 9. Wider perspectives; References; Indexes.