Known / Specific / General Reference
Is it known, new, specific, or general?
Significado
How the speaker expects the listener to identify a participant: new, known, specific, nonspecific, generic, unique, or shared.
Como identificar
Ask whether the listener already knows which thing is meant.
Exemplos
a|the|this|any|some|dogs
a dog|the dog|dogs in general|this book
I saw a dog, then the dog ran away.
Visual guide
Reference choice new thing -> a dog known thing -> the dog pointed thing -> this book any one -> any dog whole kind -> dogs
Marking options English: article a dog / the dog Other languages may use: demonstrative: this dog word order or case context only Same job: identify referent
Vista por língua
Na tua língua materna
Reference is strongly supported by articles, demonstratives, pronouns, zero article, and context.
Vi um cachorro. O cachorro latiu.
I saw a dog. The dog barked.
Na tua língua de aprendizagem
English articles and determiners strongly encode new, known, specific, general, and countability-related reference.
I saw a dog. The dog was black.
a/the = new vs. known reference
Articles are one of the biggest difficulties for learners whose languages lack a similar system.
Same block, different coding
Both languages use this block strongly, but they signal it differently. Focus on form changes, not only meaning.