Proper names with and without definite articles: preliminary results
Johannes Helmbrecht · 2022
Preliminary results of a typological survey are presented that examines the question of the possibilities to combine proper names with definite articles in a convenience sample of languages with definite articles. The combination of proper names with definite articles may be obligatory, or forbidden, or optional with certain pragmatic effects. Different classes of proper names may be distinguished, but only the most important classes ‒ personal names and place names ‒ are considered in this study, because they presumably are universal classes of expressions. The distribution of definite articles and proper names in the languages of the sample are described, and functional explanations for these patterns are sought.