Meaning of (In)definiteness in Iranian Languages. Some Semantic and Grammatical Features.

In the presentation I observe the spectrum of meanings of (in)definiteness in some Modern Iranian languages, where the exponents of the category (in)definiteness are presented by various language units like the articles proper, deictic elements (especially demonstratives), numeral "one", definite and indefinite pronouns, case markers and etc. The variety of language elements can be classified in certain groups: (a) the articles and/or grammaticalized formal elements, (b) particle – rā, (c) case markers, (d) auxiliary words. In Modern Iranian languages the grammatical and semantic fields of the (in)definiteness markers are rather complicated both from formal as well as from semantic point of view.
The main focus of the presentation is the grammatical and semantic meaning of the markers of (in)definiteness which are in the process of grammaticalization like numeral “one” in Persian (a) and demonstratives in some Pamirian languages (b).
(a) Numeral "one" yak in function of indefinite article.
yak doxtār goft (Pers.)
one girl to say Past Sng3
The special attention I pay to the combination of yak with the alloting article -i which expresses a meaning of indefiniteness. Eventually in such cases it is conveyed the combined meaning of indefiniteness and singularity.
(b) In Pamirian languages the system of the demonstratives can realize the function of the definite article and at the same time can preserve the spatial meaning. The demonstratives can designate the concreteness and definiteness as well as the meaning of case, number and gender of noun. I analyze some languages where the demonstratives in function of definite article do not combine with the case markers and designates exclusively the meaning of definiteness. This is the fact clearly pointing the following process: the significant of the deixes is growing weaker, but the meaning of definiteness is intensified.