【趣味英语语法】冠词的由来

【特别提醒】学习语法的基本前提是先解决识字问题。不识字者为文盲，学习语法完全是浪费时间。

Articles are actually just a special kind of adjective.

冠词是一种特殊的形容词。

They are adjectives which show the definiteness of the noun being referred to.

definiteness 是definite加后缀-ness构成的名词。

definite[5definit]adj.明确的, 一定的（de+fin+it+e）

define[di5fain]vt.定义, 详细说明(de+fin+e)

源自拉丁语动词definire——变化后缀-ire为-e。

de-拉丁语前缀，也是一个拉丁语介词。

【拉丁语】definio：definio, definire, definivi, definitus v. define/bound/fix/limit/mark; （de+fin+ire）

拉丁语动词definire由前缀de-和基本动词finire构成。

【拉丁语】de prep. down/away from, from, off; about, of, concerning; according to; with regard to;

【拉丁语】finio：finio, finire, finivi, finitus v. limit, end; finish; determine, define; mark out the boundaries;（fin+ire）

-are, -ere, -ire是拉丁语动词后缀，意大利语继承，法语、西班牙语稍作简化。

也就是说，fin-是拉丁语词根，而finit-是其过去分词中的变化。英语单词finish, finance, fine, define, refine, confine用到。记忆这些单词的重点都是词根fin-。在英语中也有一个单词fin。

fin[fin]n.鳍, 鱼翅, 鳍状物, 五元纸币vi.猛挥鳍, 露鳍于水面的

In Modern English, we have several articles:

Modern English 近代英语，现代英语，当代英语

• The definite article (in Modern English "the") shows that a substantive is a particular noun that the listener should recognize

substantive[5sQbstEntiv]adj.独立存在的, 真实的, 有实质的, 大量的, 巨额的n.[语]实词, 名词, 独立存在的实体（sub+st+ant+ive）

sub-拉丁语前缀，也是一个介词。

【拉丁语】sub prep. under; up to, up under, close to (of motion); until, before, up to, about;

• The indefinite (in Modern English "a","an", or "some" for plural) shows that a substantive is not a specific noun that the listener shoulder recognize
• The negative article (in Modern English "no") shows that there is none of the substantive

在古英语中冠词有和拉丁语一样复杂的变格。拉丁语中没有冠词，我以为，古英语中的冠词的作用是用来简化名词和形容词的格变化。现代英语中的名词和形容词的格变化基本上消失了，所以，定冠词也就有了极大地简化——统一为the。

建议大概了解一下古英语中的冠词。

In Old English, their definite article was also used as a demonstrative adjective and as a demonstrative pronoun, equivalent to Modern English "that" or "that one".

Definite articles and demonstratives

Old English had two main determiners: se, which could function as both 'the' or 'that', and þes for 'this'.

Modern English 'that' descends from the neuter nominative/accusative form,^[1] and 'the' from the masculine nominative form, with 's' replaced analogously by the 'th' of the other forms.^[2]

现代英语中的that继承古英语中的中性主格或宾语形式þæt。

用th代替þ，用a代替æ（依然读[æ]）。

现代英语中的the是古英语中的se变化s为th类似而来。

analogously adv.类似地, 近似地（ana+log+ous+ly）

analogous[E5nAlE^Es]adj.类似的, 相似的, 可比拟的(ana+log+ous)

analog[5AnElC^]n.类似物, 相似体(ana+log)

analogue[5AnElC^]n.相似物, 类似情况, 对等的人(ana+log+ue)

源自 中世纪拉丁语 analogus

【拉丁语】analogus：analogus, analoga, analogum adj. proportional; analogous;（ana+log+us）

The feminine nominative form was probably the source of Modern English 'she'.^[3]

Also, in Old English they generally had no indefinite article (although occasionally their word for "one" - ān could be translated into Modern English as "a" or "an").

So in speaking Old English, a noun with no article at all would often be the equivalent to a noun with an indefinite article in Modern English, for example hūs - "a house", and dēor - "an animal".

古英语中没有不定冠词。

There were several words that could be used to translate the negative article "no" in Old English:

• nān - "not (even) one"
• nǣniġ - "not any (at all)"

They both followed the normal strong adjectival declension (for which see here) and agreed with the nouns they modified.

Because articles are a kind of adjective, they were declined in agreement with whatever noun they modified.