Semantics of Determiners

This book investigates the properties of determiners in Skwxwu7mesh (Squamish) Salish.Determiners in Skwxwu7mesh are shown to behave significantly differently from the definite determiner the in English, as Skwxwu7mesh lacks a definite/indefiniteness distinction. All Skwxwu7mesh DPs can be used in both familiar and novel contexts, and are not required to refer to a unique entity. Instead, Skwxwu7mesh determiners are split along deictic/non-deicticlines.Determiners can therefore vary in terms of their semantics. However, determiners are argued to universally encode contextual sensitivity (domain restriction). A strict correlation between the syntax and semantics of determiners is proposed: if an article occupies D, it is context sensitive. Conversely, articles that do not occupy D are not context sensitive.This book also explores determiner systems in other Salish languages. Deixis is a part of most of the Salish determiner systems, but the systems vary quite a bit from one another. Other languages discussed include Inuttut (Labrador Inuktitut), Lithuanian and Maori.