an article that is associated with the top end of the information status continuum, where the identity of the referent is already known to both speaker and hearer. This includes active, semi-active, inactive, and inferrable referents. Example: the bowl is an example of a definite referring phrase with a definite article the combined with a common noun bowl, used in a context where the individual bowl in question is identifiable by both speaker and hearer. (Table 3.4, Section 3.3.1)