Definiteness as Maximal Informativeness

We argue that definites are interpreted as denoting the maximally informative object that falls under the relevant predicate. Given Irene Heim’s well-known contributions to the domain of (in)definiteness as well as that of presuppositions, we hope to show our respect for her, as well as our gratefulness for everything she has taught us, with a few thoughts on these topics. 1 An influential analysis This very short paper is concerned with the way the definite article the works. Consider the two definite phrases in (1). The singular one in (1a) presupposes that there is one girl in the relevant domain (existential presupposition) and that there is no more than one girl (uniqueness presupposition). The phrase refers to the unique girl. The plural definite in (1b), by contrast, presupposes existence but not uniqueness. The phrase refers to the entire collection of girls.