definitemarking

Definite marking, sometimes referred to as definitemarking, is a linguistic concept describing how languages encode the definiteness of noun phrases. Definiteness concerns whether a referent is assumed to be known to the listener or unique in the discourse. Languages use a variety of morphological, syntactic, and semantic strategies to mark this distinction, and the systems can be overt (visible on the noun or determiner) or more context-driven (relying on demonstratives or word order).

The most common mechanisms involve articles, demonstratives, or noun-internal markers. In languages with definite articles, a determiner such as this, that, or the equivalent marks definiteness, often paired with an indefinite article (a, an) to mark indefiniteness. Some languages also employ suffixal or prefixal markers attached to the noun to signal definiteness; for example, a language might add a definite suffix to the noun form, or use a prefix that encodes definiteness. Other languages lack an article system entirely and rely on demonstratives, word order, or context to convey definiteness.

Typologically, languages vary in how definiteness is marked. English uses a definite article (the) and an indefinite article (a/an). Other languages, such as Bulgarian or Romanian, attach a definite marker to the noun as a suffix. Arabic marks definiteness with a prefix al- on the noun. In languages without articles, such as Mandarin, definiteness is indicated through demonstratives, prior discourse, or context, while nouns may be inflected for other grammatical categories. Some languages have no distinct definite marker and rely on syntax or discourse structure to convey definiteness, whereas others have obligatory definite marking in specific constructions.

Definite marking intersects with related concepts such as articles, demonstratives, and definiteness in semantics, and it is a central topic in cross-linguistic typology and the study of noun phrase structure.