The determiner

Definition

Determiners are words that precede premodifiers in a noun phrase and which denote such referential meanings as specific reference, generic reference, definite quantity or indefinite quantity.

Different Kinds of Determiners

Determiners include three classes of words: articles: the definite/indefinite/zero article pronouns:possessive/demonstrative/

relative/interrogative/indefinite

pronouns//genitive nouns numerals:cardinal/ordinal/fractional/

multiplicative numerals

Determiners Classified in Terms of Meaning

referential determiners:

articles, possessive /demonstrative

/relative/ interrogative pronouns

//genitive nouns quantitative determiners:

cardinal/ordinal/fractional/multiplicative

numerals//indefinite pronouns

Collocations BetweenDeterminers and Nouns

The collocations between the determiner and the noun is determined by the agreement between the two in meaning. Nouns with different semantic and syntactic features ask for different determiners to collocate with them.

Singular count nouns: Plural count nouns: Noncount nouns:

Different Determiners with Different nouns

Determiners with all three classes of nouns: Determiners with singular count nouns only: Determiners with plural count nouns only: Determiners with noncount nouns only: Determiners with singular and plural count n

ouns only: Determiners with singular and noncount nou

ns only: Determiners with plural and noncount nouns

only:

Word Order of Determiners

When a noun phrase contains more than one determiner, the problem of word order should be tackled. Generally, this problem is solved by classifying determiners into predeterminers, central determiners and postdeterminers, and these three classes of determiners form the following potential collocations:

Predeterminer + Central Determiner + Postdeterminer (+ Postdeterminer)

Predeterminer + Postdeterminer (+ Postdeterminer)

Central Determiner + Postdeterminer (+ Postdeterminer)

Postdeterminer + Postdeterminer The collocations above reveal the fact that prede

terminers are mutually exclusive, central determiners are mutually exclusive whereas postdeterminers are not.

Reasons for Collocations Between Determiners

The above solution, however, is only a generalization of superficial observations. It fails to answer the following questions: Why should predeterminers precede central determiners and postdeterminers? Why should central determiners precede postdeterminers? Why are predeterminers mutually exclusive? Why are central determiners mutually exclusive? To provide reasonable answers to theses questions, we have to resort to semantic and cognitive studies of the determiners.

Semantic classification of determiners:

Determiners of general reference:

Determiners of specific reference:

Determiners of definite reference: Cognitive account of the word order of

determiners:

General → Specific → Definite