Datapoint Sri Lanka Portuguese/Definite articles

Demonstratives are used anaphorically - e.g. aka kaazantu in Example 55. Nonanaphoric demonstratives are not commonly used as definite markers - e.g. poɖiyaas in the Example 55 is definite but not marked. However, in Example 56, isti seems to be at most very weakly deictic; even more clearly, in Example 44 and 9 isti is neither deictic nor anaphoric. Possible distinction in the use of aka vs. isti needs to be investigated - e.g. isti seems to be used to indicate a generic.

Values

Definite article identical to a demonstrative

Example 41-9:
isti ingrees miziiɲa dika isti fɛɛvrispa malvaarsu miziiɲa mee boom falaatu takombersaa
isti
this
[ingrees
[English
miziiɲa
medicine
dika
than
isti
this
fɛɛvri-s-pa
fever-pl-dat
malvaar-su
Tamil-gen
miziiɲa
medicine
mee
foc
boom
good
falaa-tu]
quot-pfv]
ta-kombersaa
prs-talk
They say that for fevers, Tamil medicine (Ayurvedic medicine) is better than English (Western) medicine.

Source: Smith 1974-5: 5345

Example 41-44:
[...] tajuntaa luvaara andaatu, nosa jeentis doos pesaan tiɲatu, japapiyaa see, isti malvaars graasa tafaya [...]
[...]
[...]
ta-juntaa
[prs-meet
luvaara
place
andaa-tu,
go-pfv.ptcp]
nosa
[1pl.gen
jeentis
people
doos
two
pesaan
person
tiɲa-tu,
stand-pfv.ptcp
jaa-papiyaa
pst-speak
see,
cond]
isti
this
malvaar-s
Tamil-pl
graasa
ridicule
ta-faya
prs-do
[...]
[...]
[...] having gone to a place where [they] get together, if two of our people stand and talk, the(se) Tamils ridicule [them].

Source: Smith 1977: 148-149

Example 41-55:
poɖiyaas sudu akantu mee yanasa, aka kaazantu
poɖiyaas
children
tudu
all
aka-ntu
that-loc
mee
foc
jaa-nasa,
pst-be.born
aka
that
kaaza-ntu
house-loc
The children were all born there, in that house.

Source: Smith 1974-5: 5105

Example 41-56:
alaa menaa bibeerley tiɲa. japaraa sudu akii mee. isti poɖiyaas yanasa sudu akii mee
alaa
there
menaa
of.course
bibeer=ley
livelihood=like
tiɲa.
pst.be
jaa-paraa
pst-live
tudu
all
akii
here
mee.
foc
isti
this
poɖiyaas
children
jaa-nasa
pst-be.born
tudu
all
akii
here
mee
foc
We had work there, of course, [but] where we were all living was right here. Where the(se) children were all born was right here.

Source: Smith 1974-5: 5111

Example 41-57:
isti hɔlɛndars tavii ɔɔrasuntu taam, uŋ gɔɔta portugees jeentispa uŋ gɔɔta travaay jadaa
isti
this
hɔlɛndar-s
Hollander-pl
ta-vii
prs-come
ɔɔras-untu
when-loc
taam,
also
one
gɔɔta
little
portugees
Portuguese
jeentis-pa
people-dat
one
gɔɔta
little
travaay
difficulty
jaa-daa
pst-give
When the Hollanders came also, they gave a bit of trouble to the Portuguese.

Source: Smith 1974-5: 3215

Confidence:
Very certain