Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?

[SkiIucK]

Hi,

We had this argument the other day, and I am wondering whether 'music' has to be with an article before it in the following sentence:

'Every song ends, but is that a reason not to enjoy music?'

I think not, how about you?

Best regards

[Alan]

Hi SkiIucK,

I don't think so either. You would only use 'the' with 'music' if you were talking about somebody's music or a particular piece of music as in: The music of Beethoven /The music in last night's concert.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[SkiIucK]

Hey,

Thanks for the timely response. That is what told 'em, too...

Regards

[Yankee]

Hi SkiIuck

I think it's possible to write your sentence both with and without the word 'the'. There would be a difference in perspective between the two versions, however.

Adding the word 'the' would change the perspective from very general (i.e. any and all music) to a more specific perspective (i.e. the music in each song before it ends).
.
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[SkiIucK]

Hi Yankee,

There is no further context provided; therefore we assume we are speaking in general, am I right? Tell me what you think.

Thanks

[Yankee]

Hi SkiIuck

The speaker/writer of the sentence would be the one who would ultimately determine the way the word 'music' was being viewed in the sentence. And, of course, the broader context could also play a part. Without the broader context, I just don't think you can rule out the possibility that the speaker/writer might have had the idea of 'the music in every song you listen to' in mind.

Language does not take place in a vacuum in real life. Isn't there is always some sort of broader context?

Think of it this way:
It is only you who doesn't have any broader context for that sentence -- not the original speaker/writer of the sentence.

Just my two cents.
.
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Molly]

[SkiIucK]

Hi,

Well, once again the English language proves to be full of ambiguities in regard to articles... Different people, different tastes. :)

Thank you all

[Molly]

[SkiIucK]

Maybe I meant dubiousness, my bad, sorry.