definite article

definite article (bestemt artikkel): a determiner in a noun phrase. The English definite article is the (as in the car, the ideas, the new teacher). The definite article specifies that the referent of the noun phrase can be identified, either because it has been mentioned before (anaphoric reference), because it will be specified later in the text (cataphoric reference), or because it is obvious from the physical surroundings or general knowledge of the speaker and hearer (situational reference). The definite article (unless it has cataphoric reference) typically signals that something is given information.