Nouns and Noun Phrases - University of Macau Library

Determiners: articles and pronouns 711
Under similar conditions, the indefinite article een can be licensed. In example
(85a), the indefinite noun phrase refers to an (imaginary) instantiation of Rotterdam
that does not have a subway, and again the structure is perfectly acceptable. The
acceptability of (86a) perhaps suggests that the indefinite article is optional in this
case, but the fact that the negative adverb niet ‘not’ in (86b) can intervene between
the proper noun and the PP zonder metro shows that the two do not form a
constituent in this case. This conclusion is supported by the topicalization data in
(86c&d), which sharply contrast with those in (85c&d)
(85) a. Ik kan me een Rotterdam zonder metro niet voorstellen.
I can REFL a Rotterdam without subway not imagine
‘I cannot picture a Rotterdam without a subway.’
b. *Ik kan me een Rotterdam niet zonder metro voorstellen.
c. Een Rotterdam zonder metro kan ik me niet voorstellen.
d. *Een Rotterdam kan ik me zonder metro niet voorstellen.
(86) a. Ik kan me Rotterdam zonder metro niet voorstellen.
I can REFL Rotterdam without subway not imagine
b. Ik kan me Rotterdam niet zonder metro voorstellen.
c. ?? Rotterdam zonder metro kan ik me niet voorstellen.
d. Rotterdam kan ik me niet zonder metro voorstellen.
A restrictive modifier can also be used when the proper noun fails to uniquely
identify the intended referent in domain D. This may happen when domain D
contains several entities that are called Jan. The modifier then aids the listener in
picking out the intended referent. An example is given in (87b). As is shown in
(87c), the modifier van hiernaast may also appear in the absence of the definite
article. In this case, the postnominal PP does not function as a restrictive modifier
but as a kind of non-restrictive modifier that facilitates the identification of the
intended referent of the proper noun by restricting the topic of discourse to the
people next door.
(87) a. *de Jan
the Jan
b. de Jan van hiernaast
the Jan of next.door
c. Jan van hiernaast
Jan of next.door
B. Non-restrictive modifiers
Non-restrictive modifiers may also occur when an article is present, that is, in cases
in which reference without the modifier would also be unequivocal. Noun phrases
of this kind may be either definite or indefinite. The definite article in (88a) does
not, however, imply that there is more than one Peter, one of whom is laughing, but
that the property denoted by the adjective lachende ‘laughing’ is applicable to the
person referred to as Peter; the implication is that we are dealing with a
characteristic property of Peter. The indefinite article in (88b), on the other hand,
presents the fact that Peter is laughing as a more incidental property of Peter, and