Using the indefinite articles

[Svetlana Malykhina]

I can add to this discussion a few observations. 
In Russian linguistics, "odin" is a pronominal numeral. That's true that some Russian linguists mention this word as closely related to "kakoi-to", "nekiy". It could be rendered in English as "one."  Indeed, it is used in some context in the meaning close to "certain" and sometimes serves to emphasise "indefiniteness." Though its "indefiniteness" is inferred from the context, e.g. in utterances where presupposition of existence is assumed by both the  speaker and the addressee. 
 
Svitlana Malykhina
 

--- On Fri, 19/2/10, Melissa Smith <mtsmith02 at YSU.EDU> wrote:


From: Melissa Smith <mtsmith02 at YSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Using the indefinite articles
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Date: Friday, 19 February, 2010, 22:14


I'm reproducing here my "private" message to the inquirer:

Dear Konstantin:

As a native speaker of English, in my translation practice, I would
probably use "one SINGLE", "LONE", "a CERTAIN man, firm, etc." I don't
think the indefinite article alone has sufficient weight in English to
convey the singularity of the person, etc. in question, and would use
some lexical variant. So I would describe the difference as one of
EMPHASIS, rather than formal or informal. But maybe linguists will
explain it differently.

Melissa

On 2/19/10 9:33 AM, Robert Orr wrote:
> could we have this discussion in p;ublic?  looks very worthwhile!
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Goloviznin Konstantin" <kottcoos at mail.ru>
> To: <SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu>
> Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010 6:53 AM
> Subject: [SEELANGS] Using the indefinite articles
> 
> 
> > Hi, all.
> >
> > I was a bit suprisied to discover the indefinite article in ... 
Russian. 
> > But it really exists (in spite of the Official Grammar being blind 
on 
> > this). Just compare:
> >
> > Есть у нас ОДИН(= количество) мужик в деревне ... нам бы еще одного.
> >
> > И
> >
> > Жил был ОДИН (= какой-то, некоторый) старик со своею старухой у 
самого 
> > синего моря.
> >
> > According the "iron-made" grammar rule the indefinite article must 
be 
> > always used with singular countable nouns. From another hand live 
speech 
> > trespasses this rule any time when a possibility appears: just to 
keep 
> > words in fluency I have to use the indefinite article otherwisely I 
don't 
> > use it. So we have two rules on using the article in English: formal 
and 
> > informal.
> >
> > According the informal rule the following sentence in Russian works: 
зашел 
> > я как-то в ОДНУ фирму. Speaking - зашел я как-то в фирму - is not 
> > convinient.
> >
> > What do you think about those two rules? Let me know!
> >
> > With respect,
> > Konstantin.
> >
> > 
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------------------------------------

Melissa T. Smith, Professor
Department of Foreign Languages and 
Literatures  
Youngstown State University
Youngstown, OH 44555
Tel: (330)941-3462

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