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From: jcf@world.std.com (Joseph C Fineman)
Subject: Query: Indefinite articles invented only once?
Message-ID: <DAC7uG.Lro@world.std.com>
Summary: Query about provenance of indefinite articles
Keywords: a, an, article
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Sat, 17 Jun 1995 22:01:27 GMT
Lines: 10

Definite articles, to my knowledge, are widespread, occurring e.g. in
Semitic as well as (modern) IE languages.  However, of all the
languages in my small acquaintance, only modern Western European ones
(Romance & Germanic) have indefinite articles (all descended from the
numeral _one_).  Does this represent the spread of a single invention?
And has it happened elsewhere?
-- 
        Joe Fineman             jcf@world.std.com
        239 Clinton Road        (617) 731-9190
        Brookline, MA 02146
