Nouns and Noun Phrases - University of Macau Library

734 Syntax of Dutch: nouns and noun phrases
in passing that stressed dé is the only case in Dutch in which a function word with a
nucleus schwa receives heavy accent; the article hèt is not pronounced with a schwa
but as /ht/.
(158) a. Dit is dé bank van Nederland.
this is the bank of the.Netherlands
b. Dit is hèt adres voor al uw inkopen.
this is the address for all your purchases
The semantics contributed by the definite article in these examples can best be
characterized as par excellence; the noun phrase in question refers not just to a
specific entity or group of entities, but asserts the referent is the representative par
excellence of the total set denoted by the NP embedded under the determiner.
There is a tendency for definite noun phrases with an emphatically stressed
article to function as nominal predicates, as in (158) and the primeless examples in
(159), but it is not impossible for them to perform argument functions, as shown by
the primed examples.
(159) a. Dit is hèt concert van het jaar.
this is the concert of the year
a′. Hèt concert van het jaar vond plaats op 13 juli.
the concert of the year found place on 13 July
b. Dit is dé manier om PRO het te doen.
this is the way COMP it to do
‘This is the way to do it.’
b′. Ik heb dé manier om PRO het te doen ontdekt.
I have the way COMP it to do discovered
‘I have discovered the way to do it.’
This emphatic use of the definite article is possible not only with common
nouns, but also with proper nouns. An example is given in (160). The reaction on
the contention of the first participant in the discourse expresses disbelief/surprise on
the part of the second participant, who is asking whether the first participant really
refers to the world-famous lead singer of the Rolling Stones.
(160) Ik heb Mick Jagger gisteren gezien. — Wat!? Toch niet dé Mick Jagger?
I have Mick Jagger yesterday seen. What PRT not the Mick Jagger
‘I saw Mick Jagger yesterday. — What!? Not the Mick Jagger?’
The emphatic use of the definite article is not compatible with a generic
interpretation of the noun phrase: since generic noun phrases like de zebra ‘the
zebra’ in (161) do not pick out individuals or groups of individuals from out of a
larger set, they cannot pick out the representative(s) par excellence of this set either.
Hence (161b) is ungrammatical, in contrast to (161a), which features unstressed de.
(161) a. De zebra is gestreept.
the zebra is striped
b. *DÉ zebra is gestreept.
the zebra is striped