Datapoint Seychelles Creole/Position of definite article in the noun phrase

Seychelles Creole sa is generally not classified as a definite article (see Bollée 2004) because it is far from being grammaticalized and used in every instance of a definite reference. But sa shows the associative function in some contexts, which is crucial in the definition of definite article in APiCS. As obligatoriness in definite contexts is not a prerequisite for definite-article use, sa must be classified as a definite article here.

Values

Definite article is preposed

Example 56-25:
Ou pa kapab grate pwason. Ou a bezwen sal li ek son lekay tou. E ou tir sa gro zaret milye, ou tir latet.
Ou
2sg
pa
neg
kapab
can
grate
scratch
pwason.
fish
Ou
2sg
a
fut
bezwen
need
sal
salt
li
it
ek
with
son
poss.3sg
lekay
scale
tou.
all
E
and
ou
2sg
tir
pull
sa
art
gro
thick
zaret
bone
milye,
middle
ou
2sg
tir
pull
latet.
head
You could not scratch the fish. You had to salt them with their scales. And you pulled the large bone in the middle, you pulled the heads.
French: On n'aurait pas pu écailler les poissons. Il fallait donc les saler avec leurs écailles. Et on retirait *les* grandes arêtes au milieu, on retirait les têtes. (Bollée & Rosalie 1994: 225)

Source: Bollée and Rosalie 1994: 224

Confidence:
Very certain