Indefiniteness
Indefiniteness is a kind of definiteness indicating that the referent(s) of an expression are not presumed to be identifiable.
The referent is not identifiable because of a lack of shared knowledge or situation, including no previous mention of the referent.
Certain demonstratives and pronouns often are used to indicate indefiniteness.
(English)
Here are some examples of words that indicate indefiniteness:
- a
- some
- somebody
Pei, Mario A., and Frank Gaynor. 1954.A dictionary of linguistics. New York: Philosophical Library.
Mish, Frederick (editor). 1991.Webster's ninth new collegiate dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster. 1,564 pages. 0877795088; indexed 0877795096; deluxe 087779510X.
Lyons, John. 1968.Introduction to theoretical linguistics. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University.
Hawkins, John A. 1978.Definiteness and indefiniteness: A study in reference and grammaticality prediction. London: Croom Helm.
Crystal, David. 1980.A first dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. Boulder, CO: Westview.
Broader Terms
- BT↑ Definiteness
Related terms
- RT⇆ Article
- RT⇆ Indefinite Pronoun
- RT⇆ Referent
- ExactMatch: https://glossary.sil.org/term/indefiniteness
