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The Development of the Semitic Definite Article: A Syntactic Approach*
Harvard University
This paper aims at explaining the development of the Semitic definite article through an examination of its attested syntactical features. The paper will try to show that the original function of the definite article was not to mark definiteness, that it was first attached to the attribute, not the noun, and that only later was it transferred to the noun and interpreted as an article.
*Several people have commented on earlier versions of this paper. I would like especially to thank John Huehnergard for his continued support and interest and for his many thought-provoking comments. I would also wish to thank Wolfhart Heinrichs, Geoffrey Khan and Aaron Rubin for their helpful comments. Any errors are mine alone. Abbreviations used in this paper are: Adj - adjective; AdN - adnominal; Akk. - Akkadian; Amh. - Amharic; Arb. - Arabic; Arm. - Aramaic; BH - Biblical Hebrew; C - Christian; CA - Classical Arabic; Can. - Canaanite; CS - Central Semitic; Def. - definite; Dem - demonstrative; ES - East Semitic; G - G
z; IE - Indo-European; Indef. - indefinite; J - Jewish; LateA - Late Aramaic; M - Muslim; MidA - Middle Aramaic; MH - Mishnaic Hebrew; N - noun; Nor. - Norwegian; OA - Old Aramaic; OfA - Official Aramaic; OSA - Old South Arabian; Ph. - Phoenician; Poss. = possessive suffix; PS = proto-Semitic; P-WS - proto West-Semitic; TO - Targum Onqelos; Ug. - Ugaritic.