The noun phrase

5. The zero article vs generic NPs

• Two surface structures that do not have an explicit determiner, but
structurally and semantically different: zero-article and generic NPs:
– Would you like coffee?
– I think pandas are cute

• Zero article is covert realization of the indefinite determiner function with

plural count nouns and uncount nouns:
you’re allowed to take money with you
There was cake on the table

• Test: you can make the indefinite reference explicit (i.e. overt) by adding
some
You’re allowed to take (some) money with you
There was (some) cake on the table. Where is it?
• The determiner function is hence ‘realized’, but not in an overt way
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The noun phrase
• To be distinguished from generic NPs without determiner function (rare):
Cats are solitary animals only type specification
Reference is to the entire class, not to a specific subset, i.e. generic
reference
≠
Some cats are solitary animals which is non-generic

With plural count nouns and uncount nouns, e.g. Electricity is getting more
and more expensive these days
• In some kinds of copular clauses the determiner function may likewise not
be realized:

Anna Wintour is editor-in-chief of Vogue

She is a model turned actress
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Exercise: Zero-article or generic NP?
1) Oranges are not the only fruit is a book by Jeanette Winterson.
- Generic (‘all oranges’); *Some oranges are …; no determiner

2) There is sushi in the fridge if you want.

- zero-article (There is some sushi), indefinite determiner function which is
covertly realized

3) The guide explained that lions eat up to 30 kg in one sitting.

- Generic (‘all lions’); *Some lions eat up…; no determiner

4) Money makes the world go around they say.

- Generic (‘money as such’); * Some money makes…; no determiner

5) I baked cookies today, but they do not taste quite right.

- zero-article; I baked some cookies; indefinite determiner function which is
covertly realized 3
The noun phrase
Definite identifiers: ‘identity can be retrieved’
1. definite article: the
• with (un)countable nouns: the book/books/research
• referent is 'assumed known': information for this identification can lie in:
• previous discourse: anaphoric reference
There is a problem with your proposal. The problem is its general scope.
• indirect link with adjacent discourse: indirect anaphoric reference
He stepped into the car and grabbed hold of the steering wheel

• following discourse: cataphoric reference

The problems with John's proposal appear to be very serious.
These are endophoric references, i.e. created within the discourse/text
• the situational context: exophoric reference

The sun comes up in the east (cultural knowledge)

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I think there's someone at the door now (immediate speech situation)
The noun phrase
2. Demonstrative this/these and that/those
• Cf. definite article, but different forms for sg./pl.: 'presumed known‘
• a) anaphoric, b) cataphoric and c) exophoric reference:
a) I saw a girl enter the room. This girl then proceeded to sit down
b) We apologize to those people who did not receive the update
b) What I mean is this/*that: you shouldn’t trust him
c) This cake is lovely (situational use; conversational use)
• Deictic meaning: this/these 'near to speaker' or that/those 'far from speaker'
(physical/temporal space or emotional distance):
Do you want this book here or that one over there?
They are planning on going this summer (temporal)
I quite like this fellow (emotional: sympathy)
Did they do that to you? Those bastards! (emotional: distance)
• Remember that this also has indefinite uses (cf. earlier)
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The noun phrase
Generic reference:
1. indefinite article:
a koala is a marsupial
with sg. countable nouns

2. No determiner:
Lawyers are leeches Beer is better than wine
with plural nouns and uncountables

3. definite article:
The patient should listen to the doctor
with countable nouns

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The noun phrase
3. Determining genitive
• is a case suffix (relic from case system): ‘possession’ in a broad sense
• How to form the genitive:
• of singular nouns: + 's
The man's dog
• of singular nouns in –s: + ' or + 's
Moses' dog or Moses's dog
• of plural nouns: + ' (or + 's with irregular plurals)
The girls' party (regular)
The deer’s tracks (irregular: unmarked plural)
The children’s shoes (irregular: double plural)
A men’s club (irregular: ablaut)

• Independent genitive: At Nick’s

• Difference between determining and non-determining genitives: genitive as
a determiner with definite reference or not a determining function 7
The noun phrase
Determining genitive Non-determining genitive
The dean’s car broke down In Britain the driver’s seat is on the
right
Morphine’s last concert ended She got a three weeks’ notice
tragically.
I’m going to a friend’s house later It’s every young man’s dream
He got the lion’s share

Aid identification of the instance: Type-specifying/classifying;

determiner function genitive of measure; idiomatic
(productive or non-productive)
Syntactic parsing: Syntactic parsing:
[[DET+ GEN] + N] [DET + [GEN + N]]
Can be definite or indefinite

Of paraphrase (often) possible

The car of the dean
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The noun phrase
• Examples that are ambiguous between determining and non-determining
genitives
A man’s hat

I saw him steal a man’s hat

‘instance of the type “man’s hat”’ ; non-determining
‘the specific hat of one specific man’
determining genitive; indefinite and specific (‘the hat of a certain man’)

1) There are apparently good reasons to send your daughter to a girls’ school.
Non-determining; type-specifying. It is a school for girls, not owned by them. [DET +
[GEN + N]] (cf [an] [electric train])
2) I live just a stone’s throw away from here.
Non-determining, idiomatic; [DET + [GEN + N]]
3) Biden’s approval rating stood at just 36%
Determining (aids identification); the approval rating of Biden; [[DET+ GEN] + N] 9
The noun phrase
• of-phrases can express similar meanings, the car's owner vs. the owner of
the car, but preference for of-phrase or genitive 's dependent on certain
factors:
• The semantic type of noun at hand
• animate nouns, pronouns prefer genitive 's:
Stacy's mom was mad (vs. The mother of Stacy was mad)
• abstract and inanimate nouns prefer of-phrase:
The future of socialism looks grim (vs. socialism's future)

• The semantic relation between the two nouns involved:

• possessive/subject meaning: 's genitive
The family's car broke down
Macy's claim did not come across ('Macy claims....')
• 'objective' meaning: of-phrase (noun after of is cf. direct object)
The murder of a young girl captured the nation ('She was murdered')

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The noun phrase
• The weight of the constituents: longer constituents prefer of-phrase
(end-weight)
The house of his brother-in-law (vs. his brother-in-law's house)
The tails of the little furry rabbits (vs. the little furry rabbits' tails)

• Distribution of information: 'given + new' – 'given – new'

I have this friend called Macy. Macy's dad works in advertising

There have been some problems with finding managers. The managers of the
national team are quickly fired when they cannot make the team win

The two constructions entail a different word order of the two nouns involved.
Depending on which part of the information you want to continue into a new
sentence, you can choose the most appropriate construction

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The noun phrase
• The double genitive
• Have a genitive of-phrase + 's
He was a student of Halliday's
She saw that daughter of his

• indefinite noun + of + definite noun

• demonstrative + noun + of + definite noun

• But, beware of difference in meaning:

It was a picture of her 'she is on the picture'
It was a picture of hers 'she owns it'

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The noun phrase
Correct, if necessary, mistakes to do with the genitive constructions and explain
the corrections. If the genitive is used correctly, describe the kind of genitive you
are dealing with.
a) Isn't Lucy home? No she is at the dentist.

b) Julia, a friend of Jenny, was there too

c) Last week's sales were good for the men's department only

d) Last week I met my new boss, John. The wife of John turned out to be a friend of my
neighbour!
e) I quite liked Virginia Woolfs book Flush, in which everything is described from the
perspective of Elizabeth Browning's dog
f) He owns a painting of Queen Victoria's, but I do not think it does her justice

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The noun phrase
Correct, if necessary, mistakes to do with the genitive constructions and explain
the corrections. If the genitive is used correctly, describe the kind of genitive you
are dealing with.

a) Isn't Lucy home? No she is at the dentist.

She is at the dentist's (independent genitive indicating a location)

b) Julia, a friend of Jenny, was there too

a friend of Jenny's (double genitive because the first noun is indefinite and the
second is definite, as it is a proper noun).

c) Last week's sales were good for the men's department only
Correct use: the first one is a genitive indicating time and the second one is a
classifying genitive, functioning similarly to a classifying noun. Non-determining
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The noun phrase

d) Last week I met my new boss, John. The wife of John turned out to be a friend of my
neighbour!
Goes against the principle of given-new information distribution:
The first clause ends with a reference to the name John, which is a new piece of
information. In order for the second clause to be a successful statement, it should
start with something known, i.e. John, who was introduced in the previous clause,
and then add on new information, i.e. reference to his wife and the fact that she is a
friend of a friend.

John's wife is hence in keeping with the principle of information flow. The 's genitive
is also very common with animates and short constituents. It is determining

a friend of my neighbour's: double genitive because of indefinite first noun and

definite second

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Exercises on the determination zone:
1. Name and explain the use of the underlined units in terms of such parameters
as indefinite vs. definite reference, deictic meaning, types of phoricity, etc. and
explain the function of the determiner or postdeterminer

a) They listed everybody that's currently working <...> I mean I felt bad because a lot of
the people that are on that list were my clients a long time ago.
b) They are playing several movies with Ryan Gosling this month.
c) The pope has made some additional statements on the use of condoms and aids.
d) She is a model as well as an artist
e) So, this guy came up to me today and just stared at me for a solid 30 seconds.
f) Is a walrus a mammal or a fish?
g) Do you have money with you or just your mastercard?
h) A: Do you want to marry a doctor? B: The man I am going to marry will have to be
rich. A: Any other requirements?
i) I don't want to become a doctor anymore after the many horrific wounds I have seen.
j) So you like studying older stages of English? Yes, only the Old English period does not
really appeal to me
k) He wanted three times the amount we offered him

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