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Hiel + definite article
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The quantifier hiel + article whole is the counterpart of the quantifier al + article all. Hiel is found with singular count nouns, whereas al is excluded with singular count nouns:

1
a. Hiel dit gebakje
all this pastry
This whole piece of cake
b. *Al dit gebakje
all this pastry
All this piece of cake
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Conversely, hiel is not allowed with mass nouns, whereas al is:

2
a. Al dit gebak
all this pastry
All this pastry
b. *Hiel dit gebak
all this pastry
This whole pastry

Nor is it allowed with plural nouns, though al is:

3
a. *Hiel dizze gebakjes
all these pastries
All these pieces of cake
b. Al dizze gebakjes
all these pastries
All these pieces of cake

Interestingly, hiel may also be used with geographical proper names, as shown in the example below:

4
Hiel Jeropa
whole Europe
The whole of Europe

In older Frisian, the quantifier may havey a schwa, which is characteristic of prenominal adjectival inflection otherwise. The use of the inflected quantifier is quite archaic:

5
Hiele Jeropa
whole-N.SG.DEF Europe
The whole of Europe

The same alternation is found with the noun de wrâld the world. This is shown in the example below:

6
a. Hiele wrâld
whole.CG.SG.DEF world
The whole world
b. Hiel de wrâld
whole the world
The whole world

The predeterminer hiel cannot be used as a floating quantifier, that is, as an adverb. Instead, the form hielendal completely, wholly must be used:

7
a. Hiel de loft rint fol
whole the sky streams full
The whole sky becomes overcast
b. *De loft rint hiel fol
the sky streams wholly full
The sky becomes wholly overcast
c. De loft rint hielendal fol
the sky streams wholly full
The sky becomes wholly overcast

Hiel whole can also function as in high degree modifier:

8
a. In hiele heap túnplanten
a whole heap garden.plants
A big heap of garden plants
b. Hiel ferstannich
very sensible
Very sensible
References
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