Romance Language Morphology

Italian

GLI ARTICOLI / ARTICLES
 

INTRODUCTION
 

The article is the variable part of speech that introduces the noun. Its function is to identify and  introduce the noun into the speech.In Romance Languages, which are heavily inflected,the article agrees with the number (singular/plural) and gender (masculine/feminine) of the noun.

In addition to identifying and introducing the noun, the article:

-         indicates gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun. It does that by either reiterating the noun’s apparent markers (il gelato/i gelati; le garçon/les garcons; el gato/los gatos) or revealing hidden markers (il nipote/la nipote; la couleur, le printemps; los indigenas/los idiomas).
 

-         establishes whether the noun’s signified is specific (I called the doctor) or generic (I called a doctor).

-         transforms other parts of the speech into nouns (il perchè; les encore; los porque).
(In English: “To be on the go; The No’s that help grow up; “The “aye’s” have it”)

-         defines whether the object/person expressed by the noun is an individual entity or as a class of objects/persons (l’aereo è più veloce del treno; l’avion est plus rapide que le train; l’aeroplano es mas rápido que el tren).

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Different languages have different rules on the use of articles.

Answer the questions below about ITALIAN and compare/contrast it with English. Use the Web (reliable websites) to look for examples.Identify your quotes/examples. Give as many examples as you think necessary.

1. Is the article used with abstract nouns?
   
   Italian
   
   
   
   English
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Is the article used with the names of geographical locations or geographical features such as: continents; seas and oceans; islands; mountain ranges; lakes; rivers; countries; regions/provinces; cities. Be as specific as possible. Find at least one example for each of the categories listed above.
   
   Italian
   
   
   
   English
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Animals’ gender. Can you find examples of nouns for which the article is essential in identifying the gender (la tigre, le tigre, el tigre)?
   
   Italian
   
   
   
   English
   
   
   
   
    
4. Provide examples of the article defining a class of objects.
   
   Italian
   
   
   
   English
   
   
   
   
   
5. Provide examples of transformations of other parts of the speech into nouns performed by the presence of the articles.
   
   L2
   
   
   
   English