On Tue, 25 Feb 2003 14:32:56 -0600
Nik Taylor <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Andreas Johansson wrote:
> > How probable is it for a language that has a definite article to replace it
> > with a form derived from a demonstrative? Are any such examples known from
> > real-world languages?
>
> Colloquial English sometimes uses "that" and "this" almost like
> articles; with "that" being somewhat like "the" and "this" being
> somewhat like "a".  For example:
>
> I met this guy on the street the other day (= I met a guy ...)


There's more to it than that; "Describing Morphosyntax" at one point
(p266) mentions how some languages mark "discourse referentiality",
which is when a newly-introduced item in discourse is "destined to
feature" in the narrative. He then goes on to reference Wright and Givon
(1987), saying that they "have shown that the demonstrative _this_
in spoken English is, among other things, an indicator of discourse
referentiality. In spoken narratives, items introduced with _this_ are
much more likely to persist, i.e., be mentioned repeatedly, than are
items introduced with either _the_ or _a_ ..."


> Have you ever seen that show "Historical Blunders"?  (= the show)
>
> In fact, there's a show on TV called "That 70's Show".  :-)
>
> Anyways, I could imagine, over time, "that" and "this" becoming true
> demonstratives, eventually replacing "the" and "a".
>
> Also, in Modern French, "ce" has developed some article-like functions,
> with "le" starting to develop into a kind of "default article".

Uh oh... not that flamewar again :)

s.
----
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