thee for the

[Mark Mandel]

On Nov 13, 2007 10:30 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:

The tricky thing (for some speakers,
> anyway) is when you want to contrast an "an" indefinite with a
> "the(e)" definite, since "ayn" is impossible (unless you're referring
> to the objectivist) and stressed "AEN" sounds a bit weird:
>
> It's not just A solution, it's THE solution.
> ??It's not just AN answer, it's THE answer.
>
> It's not THE factor, but it's A factor.
> ??He's not THE expert, but he's AN expert.
>

To me these are normal, not weird. Though I think I'd be more likely to say
  He's AN expert, but he's not THE expert.
Maybe that's a partial effect, reserving the strongest stress for "THE".

I can't decide on preferred order for the "answer" example.

m a m

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