Determiner: Difference between revisions

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In short, {{t|sa bỉo}} does three things:
In short, {{t|sa bỉo}} does three things:
# <span style="color:red">introduces</span> an existentially bound variable {{t|bío}} to the clause;
# <span style="color:brown">introduces</span> an existentially bound variable {{t|bío}} to the clause;
# <span style="color:orange">specifies</span> that it refers to a cup (or some cups: see [[plural logic]]);
# <span style="color:chocolate">specifies</span> that it refers to a cup (or some cups: see [[plural logic]]);
# acts in its place in the sentence as an <span style="color:teal">instance</span> of this variable.
# acts in its place in the sentence as an <span style="color:teal">instance</span> of this variable.


<blockquote>
<blockquote>
{{t|Hẻaq jí <u>sa bỉo</u>.}}<br>
{{t|Hẻaq jí <u>sa bỉo</u>.}}<br>
<math>{\color{red}\exists \textsf{bio}}: {\color{orange}\textrm{Bio}(\textsf{bio}) \,\wedge} \, \textrm{Heaq}(\textsf{ji}, {\color{teal}\textsf{bio}})</math><br>
<math>
  {\color{brown}     \underbrace{\exists \textsf{bio}:}_{1}}
\; {\color{chocolate} \underbrace{\textrm{Bio}(\textsf{bio}) \mathop\wedge}_{2}}
\; \textrm{Heaq}(\textsf{ji},
    {\color{teal}     \underbrace{\textsf{bio}}_{3}}
  )
</math><br>
I'm holding some cup(s).
I'm holding some cup(s).
</blockquote>
</blockquote>

Revision as of 00:07, 5 February 2022

A determiner is a particle that consumes a predicate phrase and produces a noun phrase.

For example: sa “some” is a determiner, bỉo “…is a cup” is a predicate phrase, and sa bỉo is a noun phrase meaning “some cup(s)”.

Semantically, these particles tend to correspond to logical quantifiers over a now-bound variable, plus an occurence of that variable. For example, the sa determiner corresponds to the quantifier. The tagged predicate phrase doubles both as a domain and a name for the variable.

In short, sa bỉo does three things:

  1. introduces an existentially bound variable bío to the clause;
  2. specifies that it refers to a cup (or some cups: see plural logic);
  3. acts in its place in the sentence as an instance of this variable.

Hẻaq jí sa bỉo.

I'm holding some cup(s).

Determiner particles

Word Meaning
sa some X
tuq every X
tushı each X
tuq all X
sıa no X
ke the X
hoı the aforementioned X
baq X in general, X-kind
which X?
ja λX

Additionally, rising tone can be analyzed as a tonal pseudo-determiner that refers to bound variables, or falls back to "implicitly-bound" ke X if there is no earlier binding.

Every, each, all

tu bỉo quantifies over the range of "cups-es". The possible values of bío include not only individual cups, but also groups of cups. A group of cups is also a bỉo, after all.

This can lead to surprising behavior (TODO example), and you want to say tushı instead.

tushı bỉo quantifies over "cups-es that are one", i.e. each individual cup. It's like tu bỉo ru shỉ.

tuq bỉo doesn't make a "for-all" statement. Instead it refers to the single entity "all cups (together)".