articles - Can anyone explain the use of determiners in this passage?


Can someone explain the use of determiners (words like some or the) for the word beans in the following dialogue:



Aki: Lisa, here're some beans.


Lisa: Why are you giving me beans?


Aki: Because it's Setsubun today. It means the "Coming of Spring".


Lisa: OK, but why the beans?


Aki: We throw beans on this day so that bad luck will leave and good luck will come in.



In particular, I'd like to know:



  1. Why does Lisa drop the determiner (why are you giving me ø beans) when she asks her first question?

  2. Why does Lisa then introduce a determiner (why the beans) when she repeats her question?

  3. Aki also drops the determiner (we throw ø beans) when she explains the custom. Is it for the same reason as 1, or for an entirely different reason?



Answer



Question 1 - She doesn't need to say "the beans", because it really doesn't matter which beans she's getting. Whether Aki gives her those beans, or some different beans, the question would still be the same. So "the" would be unnecessary. And she could say "some beans", but this would be repeating what Aki had already said. Again, unnecessary.


Question 2 - If she didn't say "the", it would imply that the question related to beans in general ("why beans but not lentils for Setsubun"); but with "the", it really just means "why did you give me those beans".


Question 3 - If the beans that get thrown were the "special holy beans of Setsubia, which are removed from the sacred vial every Setsubun", we might say "we throw the beans". But no, any beans will do; so Aki just says "we throw beans". She could also say "we throw some beans, but not too many", but because she doesn't care about the quantity, she doesn't need to say "some'.


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