Demonstrativbegleiter

Demonstrativbegleiter is a term from German grammar for a class of determiners that accompany a noun to indicate demonstrative reference. They are used to point to a specific entity or set of entities in discourse, often conveying information about proximity, distinction, or contrast. Common members are forms like dieser, diese, dieses; jens, jener, etc.; sucher, solche, solches; derselbe, dieselbe, dasselbe; diejenige, derjenige, dasselbe, and related derivatives.

Declension and syntax follow the noun they modify. Demonstrativbegleiter decline for case, gender and number, similar to the definite article. Examples in the singular: nominative dieser Mann, diese Frau, dieses Kind; genitive dieses Mannes, dieser Frau, dieses Kindes; dative diesem Mann, dieser Frau, diesem Kind; accusative diesen Mann, diese Frau, dieses Kind. In plural: nominativ diese Männer; genitiv dieser Männer; dative diesen Männern; accusativ diese Männer. They can also occur with other determiners or adjectives, as in dieser große Mann, jene alte Frau, solches Unrecht. In many contexts they function together with adjectives, where the demonstrative provides the determiner and the adjective carries the descriptive meaning.

Function and usage. Demonstrativbegleiter specify which noun is being discussed and can express proximity (this/these) or distance (that/those) relative to the speaker or listener, or contrastive reference. They are often used to emphasize or to differentiate one entity from others in discourse. They differ from demonstrative pronouns in that they modify a noun rather than standing alone, though some forms can serve as pronouns in other constructions.

Relation to other determiner classes. Demonstrativbegleiter are distinct from definite articles (der/die/das) and from possessive determiners (mein, dein, sein). They form part of the broader system of Begleiter (determinatives) that attach to nouns to mark reference.