Zero definite article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zero definite article is a speaking behavior where the definite article the or a is not used.
The definite article is sometimes omitted before words such as prison, school, bed, and (in non-American dialects) hospital, hence:
- She is in hospital.
- He was taken to prison.
when this is a generalisation rather than a specific location.
Where a particular location is meant, then the definite article is used, viz.
- He was taken to the prison.
- She was collected from the hospital.
- We were jumping on the bed.
In some nonstandard forms of British English, the is omitted in places that standard English has it, leading to sentences such as:
- I'm going to shop. (I'm going to the shop)
- I'm driving down road. (I'm driving down the road)
It's possible to discern, for example, in Lancashire and Yorkshire English accents a minuscule pause in place of the definite article. Often there is a slight staccato on the preceding word. i.e., to is reduced to a simple t or tuh. Thus, "Am going tuh _ pub", or "Am going __ pub" where to is entirely replaced by a pause. The "t" sound may also be appended to the preceding word even if the pause is present.
[edit] See also
- Zero at
- Zero did
- Zero do
- Zero if
- Zero of
- Zero to
- Zero past marking
- Zero plural marking
- Zero possessive marking
- Zero third person agreement
| This article does not cite any references or sources. (July 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |

