articledéterminant

In linguistics, an articledeterminant is a type of determiner that functions similarly to an article, but often conveys a more specific or demonstrative meaning. While traditional articles like "a," "an," and "the" indicate definiteness or indefiniteness, articledeterminants can also point to a particular item or group of items within a context. They are sometimes considered a subset of demonstrative determiners.

Examples of articledeterminants include words like "this," "that," "these," and "those." When used before a noun, they specify which noun is being referred to. For instance, in the sentence "This book is interesting," "this" acts as an articledeterminant, distinguishing the book in question from all other books. Similarly, "that car is fast" uses "that" to point to a specific car.

The distinction between a demonstrative pronoun and an articledeterminant is subtle and often depends on whether the word stands alone or modifies a noun. When "this," "that," "these," or "those" precede a noun, they function as articledeterminants. If they stand alone and refer to a noun already mentioned or understood, they are considered demonstrative pronouns. While the term "articledeterminant" is not as universally recognized as "article" or "determiner," it highlights the specific role these words play in specifying and defining nouns within a sentence.