Indefiniteness and Number: a comparative analysis

There is no doubt in importance of the role number plays in language system; Not only does it affect the form and grammar, but also provides concepts which are not totally equal in their interpretation through different languages. One of the most critical fields showing this semantic variation about number concept is indefinite articles. There is an essential relation between number and indefinite articles so that considering one of them as prerequisite for understanding the other is inevitable. This paper as a comparative analysis targets this relationship and tries to monitor the variation in usage of indefinite article and number in Persian and English. As a general purpose, it is intended to check if there is a typological factor determining the variation in usage of indefinite article and number. Results show that there is a typological variation in usage of indefinite article and number which leads to some constraints and misinterpretation in mentioned languages.

کلیدواژه ها:

indefinite article ، number ، typology ، variation ، usage