| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 117.1 | | SCOTTY::MPALMER | | Wed Dec 11 1985 22:29 | 12 |
| "The" is one of the most difficult things to get a Natural Language program
to understand or use correctly, as I recall. I think it's THE most unheard
of thing I've ever heard of!
In Russian, there is no counterpart, and that language works very well.
Native speakers of Russian often omit "the" from their English because the
concept and usage rules are too abstruse for them. Typically, they have
no problem making themselves understood without "the".
Try removing all "the"s from some english text and you'll probably end up
with something that's quite understandable although it reads as if some
Russian wrote it...
mp
|
| 117.2 | | DELNI::GOLDSTEIN | | Wed Dec 18 1985 21:12 | 5 |
| Without knowing an "exact" answer, in English, the definite article "the"
is used when referring to one or more specific items, when contrasted
to other items which could be referred to by the same noun. "Give me
the book" implies that you have a definite book in mind, while "give
me a book" (the indefinite article) implies any book.
|
| 117.3 | | BEING::POSTPISCHIL | | Thu Dec 19 1985 12:08 | 8 |
| Re .2:
I was not intending to contrast the definite article with the indefinite
articles. Deciding between "a" and "the" is simple compared to determining
whether or not an article is needed at all.
-- edp
|
| 117.4 | | PAUPER::POWERS | | Mon Dec 23 1985 12:22 | 22 |
| Both articles, a/an and the, are used to limit the scope of a reference.
When a reference is either very specific or very general, the article
is often omitted.
Consider the specific: "ask Uncle Phil for help" vs. "ask a friend for help"
Consider the general: "give me a book on it" vs. "give me documentation on it"
I think it can be argued that the most general comes around to include
the most specific, since everything comes back around to the only thing.
"Let there be light" vs. "give me a light"
Note how few nouns we use that are not accompanied by some adjective,
often in place of an article. The modifier is often numerical or
possessive. Referring to the example above, a likely statement
would be "give me some documentation on it," a modification that limits
the scope of the statement, making it more specific in a nebulous way.
Lastly, American usage seems to include articles where British usage
does not. Americans are more likely to go to "the hospital" while
Britons go "to hospital." Americans do admit to going "to school"
or "to work", however, so the distinction is probably one of idiom
and habit rather than reason.
- tom]
|
| 117.5 | | VOGON::GOODENOUGH | | Mon Jan 06 1986 11:37 | 5 |
| Re: .4 or "go into hospital" - more like a state than a place over here!
Unless you're a private patient (a small percentage of the total), you have
no choice as to the particular institution.
Jeff.
|
| 117.6 | | SIERRA::DCL | | Mon Jan 06 1986 13:34 | 5 |
| But, Jeff, it's my understanding that this British usage predates National
Health! So, while the present medical system might reinforce and perpetuate
this usage for the reason you give, it wouldn't have been its source.
David Larrick (a frequently misinformed American)
|
| 117.7 | | VOGON::GOODENOUGH | | Mon Jan 06 1986 15:30 | 5 |
| OK - the NHS bit was a sort of joke. I was just adding the usage "go into
hospital" meaning to be admitted, rather than just a day visit. I guess
you have a similar phrase.
Jeff.
|
| 117.8 | | DELNI::WIX | | Wed Jan 22 1986 15:34 | 11 |
| re: .4
>Consider the general: "give me a book on it" vs. "give me documentation
>on it"
I find that I don't use a floating noun like that but say "give me the
documentation on it" or "give me some documentation on it" as you later
use.
.wIx. (who is in Documentation but not in THE documentation)
|