A pragmatic approach to the problem of teaching the uses of the definite article in English to students of English as a foreign language is presented. The discussion deals with--(1) the situational context as a determining factor for the definite article; (2) the role of the linguistic context; (3) the determining role of restrictive phrases and…

Compares the theories of Chomsky and Fillmore. By representing "case" as a feature of lexical items, the deep/surface distinction can be eliminated, and the resulting "lexicase" framework looks promising as a basis for the design of language teaching materials. (Author/RM)