determinerplusnoun

Determinerplusnoun is a term used to describe the noun phrase formed when a determiner directly precedes a noun in many languages. The determiner signals reference, definiteness, number, possession, or quantity, while the noun provides the core referent. In English, the typical sequence is determiner, optionally an adjective, then the noun, as in the phrases the big dog, a cat, or these books.

Common determiner types include articles (the, a, an), demonstratives (this, that, these, those), possessives (my, your, his, her, their), numerals (one, two), and quantifiers (some, any, every, no). The same determiner can convey different meanings depending on context, such as definiteness (the vs. a), proximity (this vs. that), or quantity (few vs. many). Determinerplusnoun phrases function as subjects, objects, or complements within clauses.

In syntactic theory, the determiner is often analyzed as the determiner head within a determiner phrase (DP), with the noun as its complement. Adjectives or other modifiers can intervene between the determiner and the noun in languages like English (for example, the big house), though their exact placement varies across languages.

Cross-linguistically, many languages have explicit articles or demonstratives that mark definiteness, while others rely on demonstratives or context to convey similar distinctions. Some languages lack articles entirely, using nouns alone or relying on word order and context to signal definiteness or number. Determinerplusnoun is thus a central building block for forming referential noun phrases across many linguistic systems.