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18779 | 'The' is a quantifier, like 'every' and 'a', and does not result in denotation [Montague] |
Full Idea: The expression 'The' turns out to play the role of a quantifier, in complete analogy with 'every' and 'a', and does not generate (in common with common noun phrases) denoting expressions | |
From: Richard Montague (English as a Formal Language [1970], p.216), quoted by Bernard Linsky - Quantification and Descriptions 4 | |
A reaction: Linsky says that it is now standard to interpret definite descriptions as quantifiers |