Organizing the message
Who or what is meant
Specific or general
Do we mean one particular thing, any one, or the whole kind?
article
definite article
indefinite article
zero article
general reference
Merkitys
We can talk about one particular thing, any member of a group, or a whole kind of thing. This shows whether choosing a particular member matters. Languages express these meanings with articles, pointing words, other words, or context; some have no articles. Unlike New and known information, this is not about whether the listener already knows what is being talked about.
Näin tunnistat sen
Ask whether the speaker has a particular person or thing in mind, would accept any member of the group, or is talking about the kind as a whole.