Artiklitesüsteemi

Artiklitesüsteemi is a linguistic concept describing how languages mark definiteness and reference on noun phrases through articles and related determiners. The system encompasses definite and indefinite articles, sometimes partitive or quantifying articles, and in languages without explicit articles, alternative cues such as demonstratives or word order serve a related function.

Definite articles indicate that the referent is identifiable to the listener, often due to familiarity, uniqueness, or discourse context. Indefinite articles signal non-specific or introduce new referents. Some languages feature additional article types, or have articles that agree with gender, number, and case, while others separate articles from the noun or attach them as clitics. In certain languages, articles are obligatory in most noun phrases; in others they are optional or absent, with definiteness conveyed by other means.

Typologically, artiklitesüsteemi varies widely. Many Indo-European languages possess a rich article system, such as English with the, a/an or German with der/die/das and ein/eine, and Romance languages with el/la/los/las, etc. Others, like Swedish, combine articles with demonstratives or use gendered forms. A number of languages (for example Estonian, Finnish, Russian and several Slavic languages) lack a conventional definite or indefinite article; definiteness is expressed through demonstratives, case, and context rather than a dedicated article word.

Historical and functional perspectives show that article systems influence noun phrase structure, agreement, and discourse management. In many languages, the development of definite articles is traced to demonstratives that gradually assumed persistent reference-marking roles. See also determiners, definiteness, and demonstratives.