| Abstract [eng] |
The dissertation investigates definiteness marking in two typologically diverse languages — Lithuanian which is an articleless language and has a partially grammaticalized marking of definiteness and Danish which has a fully developed system of definiteness markers. The aim of the thesis is to compare Lithuanian definiteness markers — definite adjectival forms and emergent articles — to definiteness markers of article languages (Danish, English, etc.). The following methods of analysis were applied in the dissertation: contrastive analysis, L. Hjelmslev’s commutation test and semantic map method. Besides the contrastive perspective, the dissertation also has a typological perspective with the aim of determining the universal usage types of definiteness markers and considering definiteness marking in Lithuanian and Danish in a typological context. The Semantic Map of Lithuanian Definite Adjectivals and the Semantic Map of Definiteness Markers in Danish, which were drawn in the thesis, help to highlight the similarities and differences of definiteness marking in Lithuanian and Danish. In the dissertation, it is argued that the pronominal morpheme –jis, –ji contained in the definite adjectival form can be regarded as a formal marker of definiteness in Lithuanian since in all cases this morpheme marks the definiteness of a noun phrase, whether it is definiteness on the level of individual reference or definiteness on the level of type (taxonomic) reference. The demonstrative tas, ta can be regarded as an emergent marker of definiteness in Lithuanian. |
