[sqhahn10]

September 11, 2010

Dear Susan 53,

It is very thoughtful of you to respond specifically to my e-mail inquiry as to the generic reference with regards to conceptualizing the neutralization of number and definitiveness of the definite article the and the indefinite article a. When I read your initial explanation about my inquiry, I seemed to agree with you; however, when I read the following information, I still am not quite certain that the neutralization of number and definitiveness cannot be applied to the article in the title, ”Advantages and Disadvantages of Owning the versus a Dog.

As far as the use of articles is concerned, it is said that English native speakers use the indefinite and definite articles based on their intuition. However, considering the fact that those grammarians who initially elaborated on the neutralization of number and definitiveness are renowned writers of English grammar books, I want to think that the grammar rules have changed for our convenience, because it is very simple to apply the concept of neutralization to our discourse.

At any rate, thank you very much for your kind and specific explanation as to the use of articles with generic references.

Best regards,


Song Hahn




The following information is what I have gleaned so far since I received your response.

A. Articles in generalizations - Topic Powered by Social Strata

Then, much to my surprise, leafing through "The Grammar Book" (Marianne Celce-Murcia and Diane Larsen-Freeman), I saw the following examples/explanation:

"Many reference grammars and ESL/EFL texts (e.g., Quirk and Greenbaum, 1973) cite examples such as the following that state that all four patterns express generic meaning - the implication being that they share the same meaning and use:

1. The German is a good musician
2. A German is a good musician
3. The Germans are good musicians
4. Germans are good musicians

Do most grammarians agree that the four utterances are equally possible? ...Articles are so tricky...

B. THE GRAMMAR BOOK AN ESL/EFL TEACHER’S COURSE, Marianne Celce, et all, states on pages 179-180, under the Generic Usage, The use of articles and other inflections to convey generic meanings is a matter that is not very well treated in reference grammars and ESL/EFL textbooks. Quirk and Greenbaum (1973), for example, cite the following examples and state that all four patterns express generic meaning – the implication being that they all share the same meaning:

a. The German is a good musician
b. A German is a good musician
c. The Germans are good musicians
d. Germans are good musicians

C. Generic reference: a/the/no article
Speaking of generic references, Huddleston says that if the predicate applies to each individual of the generic group, you can use a, but if the predicate applies only to the group as a whole, you can't. Thus,
A whale is a large mammal. (Each whale is a large mammal.)
But not:
*A whale is an endangered species. (It is not the case that each whale is an endangered species.)
(In either case, you can use the.)

D. Generic Meaning
A similar process is at work with the use of these generic forms in context. We have a set of sentences that seem to have very much the same meaning. It is probable that the uses of these forms do not entirely overlap. However, we do not yet have a complete picture of how generic forms are used. But the use of computers for linguistic research is a new field, and we get more information all the time.
Here are some things that we do know about these generic noun phrase types when they are used in context:
1. The + singular: The computer has changed modern life.
This form is considered more formal than the others--and is not as likely to be used in conversation as the plural noun: Computers have changed modern life.
Master (1987) found in the sample that he analyzed that this form with the was often used to introduce at topic--and came at the beginning of a paragraph and in introductions and conclusions.
E. A Grammar of Contemporary English, Randolph Quirk, et al, which has the following explanation as to the generic reference on page 150.

With indefinite specific reference, singular count nouns take the indefinite article a(n), while plural count nouns and mass nouns take zero article or, usually, the ‘light quantitative article’ some (and any in nonassertive contexts, see 4.127): I want a pen /some pens/some ink. With generic reference, the distinction for number and definiteness are neutralized with count nouns. With mass nouns, only the zero article is possible:

a. The tiger is beautiful.
b. A tiger is beautiful.
c. Tigers are beautiful.
d. Music is beautiful.