Determinative

Determinative is a term used in some grammars to describe a class of words that accompanies a noun to determine its reference within a noun phrase. More commonly, these words are called determiners, and determinative is often treated as a synonymous or broader term. The determinative/determiner category typically includes articles, demonstratives, possessives, quantifiers, numbers, and certain interrogatives.

In usage, determinatives appear before the noun they modify and serve to signal features such as definiteness (the cat), reference or proximity (this book, that man), quantity (three apples, several ideas), or ownership (my idea, their plans). They may interact with adjectives in a noun phrase, but they themselves do not carry independent content about the noun beyond specifying reference. In many languages, determinatives are required for noun phrases to be fully interpreted, while in others articles may be optional or absent.

Cross-linguistic variation is common. Some languages have a definite or indefinite article system, others use demonstratives or possessive forms to mark reference, and still others do without a dedicated article system. In certain languages, determinatives may agree with noun class, gender, or number; in others, they do not inflect.

Historically, the term determinative appears in older grammars and descriptive traditions. In modern reference grammars, the term determiner is more standard, with determinative retained as a historical or regional label. See also article, determiner, noun phrase.