Determiners clarify the specific reference of a noun or noun phrase and can vary between languages.
Universal quantifiers refer to the entirety of a class and can exhibit similarities with conjunctions in certain languages.
Deep dives
Determiners
Determiners clarify the specific reference of a noun or noun phrase, such as the dog versus a dog. They can include articles, demonstratives, possessives, and quantifiers. The choice of determiners can vary between languages, and some languages even permit determiners with proper names. The order of determiners can also vary, with some languages allowing determiners to come before or after the noun phrase.
Universal Quantifiers
Universal quantifiers refer to the entirety of a class, such as all, every, and each. They can have lexical and grammatical similarities with conjunctions in certain languages, leading to interesting patterns. For example, the word also in English is derived from combining the universal quantifier all with the conjunction so. Languages may exhibit different patterns in combining question words with conjunctions to create quantifier expressions.
Determiner Variations
Determiners can vary in their function and meaning. They can indicate definiteness, proximity, all or part, and more. Some languages allow determiners to follow the noun phrase, while others permit determiners with proper names. The order of determiners within a noun phrase can also be flexible, with different languages exhibiting different patterns.
Advice for Creating Determiners
When creating determiners for a conlang, it's important not to get too caught up in specific labels or classifications. Instead, focus on how the determiners function within the language and how they flow naturally. Taking a fresh perspective, such as through a nap, can also help generate new ideas and insights.
This week, we do a little talking about determiners, a topic that has come up before in many episodes but that we hadn’t really treated on its own. Also, we get to reading some iTunes reviews we’ve been forgetting about. Top of Show Greeting: Brazilian Portuguese (Vítor) Links and Resources: WALS: Conjunctions and Universal Quantifiers... Read more »
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