The

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Template:For Template:For Template:Wiktionarypar The word the functions primarily as a definite article in the grammar of the English language. It is the most common word in the English language.[1]

Contents

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Etymology

Linguists believe that the common ancestor of the Indo-European languages (Proto-Indo-European) did not have a definite article. Most of the older languages do not have definite or indefinite articles; there is no article in Latin, Sanskrit, or in conservative Indo-European languages like standard Russian, as can often be seen when inexperienced east European natives write in the English language. Classical Greek has a definite article, but Homeric Greek did not. In the etymologies of these and many other languages, the definite article arose by a demonstrative pronoun or adjective changing its usage; compare the fate of the Latin demonstrative ille in the Romance languages, becoming French le, la, l' and les, Spanish el and la, and Italian il and la, among others.

The and that are common developments from the same Old English system. Old English had a definite article se, in the masculine gender, seo (feminine), and þæt (neuter). In Middle English these had all merged into þe (þ = th), the ancestor of the Modern English word.

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Use and pronunciation

"The" has variable pronunciation. It is generally pronounced with a long e (IPA /i:/) before a word starting with a vowel, and with a schwa before a word beginning with a consonant. However, to emphasise the importance or truth of its following word, it can be pronounced with a long e anywhere, in which case it essentially acts additionally as an adjective synonymous with "pre-eminent", as in "the hospital for back problems". In written form, in the absence of pronunciation, the in this sense is often italicised or otherwise emphasised, although in some written expressions, such as "the novelist of middle-class despair", and some spoken contexts (e.g. advertising) it can stand without emphasis since the context is assumed to be clear.

For adverbial use it appears twice, each time before a comparative adjective or adverb to denote a commensurate relationship, as in "the more the merrier": this usage derives from Anglo-Saxon þȳ, which is instrumental case and means "by means of the".

The word the is common in book and movie titles. Such titles are often listed invertedly, such as Grudge, The, for convenience for people looking for a title. (The same happens with the indefinite article a(n)).

The is the easiest word to type using the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard.

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Reduction and omission

In some Northern British dialects of English, the is pronounced as [t] or as a glottal stop, usually written in dialect dialogue as t'; in some dialects it reduces to nothing. This is known as definite article reduction; see that article for further details.

In informal writing, such as notes or diaries, the definite article and some other particles are often omitted, for example, "Must pick up prescription at pharmacy today."

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Examples

  1. Used before singular or plural nouns and noun phrases that denote particular, specified persons or things: the baby; the dress I wore.
  2. Used before a noun and generally stressed to emphasise one of a group or type as the most outstanding or prominent: They considered Lake Shore Drive to be the neighbourhood to live in these days.
  3. Used to indicate uniqueness: the Prince of Wales; the moon.
  4. Used before nouns that designate natural phenomena or points of the compass: the weather; a wind from the south.
  5. Used as the equivalent of a possessive adjective before names of some parts of the body: grab him by the neck; an infection of the hand. (Many languages exclusively use the article, not the possessive adjective, especially Romance: e.g. French: chaque matin, je me lave la face et les mains, la/les = "the"; "Every morning I wash [my] face and hands")
  6. Used before a noun specifying a field of endeavor: the law; the film industry; the stage.
  7. Used before a proper name, as of a monument or ship: the Titanic.
  8. Used before the plural form of a numeral denoting a specific decade of a century or of a life span: rural life in the Thirties.
  9. Used to denote collective or idealised representatives: e.g. In the healthcare system, the doctor has responsibility for the patient's wellbeing or older-fashioned titles such as The White Man and the Indian or Social problems of the pre-school child.
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See also

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External links

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