A Historical Overview of the Indefinite Article Studies in Spanish Grammar

The subject of this study is the historical and linguistic analysis of the Spanish indefinite article (un, una, unos, unas) as a particularizing element in the nominal system and its role in expressing the category of determination. The research examines the origin of the article, the processes of desemanticization, and its evolution into a grammatical marker of indefiniteness. The analysis covers the functional and semantic values of the indefinite article across different historical periods of the Spanish language and offers a comparative assessment of approaches to its status and functions in various grammatical traditions, including Russian-language studies. Special attention is given to the role of the indefinite article in transforming a noun from potential reference to actual use in discourse. The methodology combines a structural-functional and historical approach, including the analysis of texts from the 13th to the 17th centuries, comparative historical-philological examination, and functional-semantic interpretation. The main findings of the research identify the stages of grammaticalization of the indefinite article in Spanish and describe the accompanying semantic and functional shifts. The study shows that the frequent use of the article with the grammatical category of number was gradually replaced by its function as a marker of particularization in noun phrases. It highlights the development of singular and plural forms (unos, unas), their grammatical features, and the semantic distinctions between the indefinite article and the pronoun algún. The research also clarifies how the indefinite article serves as an anti-extensive determinative that introduces new, non-identified referents into discourse. The scientific contribution consists in reconstructing the article’s developmental path, revealing previously undescribed patterns of semantic evolution, and organising academic studies on this topic in Spanish and Russian linguistic researches.

Indefinite article, Grammaticalization, Desemanticization, Category of determination, Determinative, Article, Spanish language, Historical-linguistic analysis, Functional-semantic value, Article category