prédeterminer

Predeterminer is a term used in linguistics to describe a word that precedes a noun phrase and modifies its determinative meaning. It typically clarifies the scope or type of the noun that follows. Common examples of predeterminers include words like "all," "both," "half," and "double." These words establish a quantity or a specific relationship before the core noun phrase is introduced. For instance, in the phrase "all the books," "all" functions as a predeterminer, specifying the entirety of the books. Similarly, "both my parents" uses "both" to indicate a pair. Predeterminers are distinct from determiners, which usually include articles (a, an, the), demonstratives (this, that, these, those), and possessives (my, your, his, her). Determiners typically specify the definiteness or possession of the noun. While predeterminers are less frequent in English than determiners, they play a crucial role in refining the meaning and scope of noun phrases, particularly in conveying quantification and distribution. The position of predeterminers is generally before other determiners in a noun phrase.