The Function of the Definite Article in Co-referential Strings

Mgr. Tomáš Zimek

Master's thesis

Abstract:

The issue of retrievability and irretrievability of noun phrases with the definite article in co-referential strings, which is the focus of this work, is understood in the narrow sense of Firbass theory of FSP. This theory is introduced and confronted with other theories in the first part of the work. Having set up the theoretical background and approach, the other part presents the analysis of two fictional texts: Kenneth Grahames The Wind in the Willows, and Rudyard Kiplings The Jungle Book. It is the aim of the analysis to determine the functions of definite noun phrases and the definite article itself in co-referential strings in the texts. The analysis, the results of which are presented together with the analysis, revealed that two major functions of noun phrases with the definite article in co-reference are disambiguation and keeping co-referential strings open and re-opening co-referential strings. This also influences considering the noun phrases retrievable or irretrievable. The use of the definite article itself was in the texts reasoned mainly by unique and generic reference.

Keywords

articles, linguistics, Functional Sentence Perspective, FSP, co-reference, co-referential string, retrievability, irretrievability, retrievability span, context-dependence, context-independence, definite article, definite noun phrase, disambiguation, unique reference, generic reference, analysis

Language used: Czech

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 28. 4. 2006

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 14. 6. 2006
• Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Jana Chamonikolasová, Ph.D.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Master programme / field:
Humanities / English Language and Literature