1.4. Specificity
Specificity refers to a sub-classification of indefinite noun phrases. Specific indefinite noun phrases indicate discourse referents that the signer knows but the addressee does not, as shown in (a). On the contrary, non-specific indefinites are used when neither the signer nor the addressee knows the discourse referent, as shown in (b).
a. booka ix1 reada want ix1. libraryb ix1 1gob finda done atake1
‘I want to read a book. I went to the library, I found it, and I took it.’
b. today booka ix1 reada feel_like ix1. ixa booka ix(dem)a interesting must
‘Today I want to read a book. It must be an interesting one.’
In a nutshell, specificity correlates to the accessibility of the referent from the point of view of the signer.
