The Syntax of Silence

Sluicing, Islands, and the Theory of Ellipsis

AvJason Merchant

Inbunden, Engelska, 2001

Del 1 i serien Oxford Studies in Theoretical Linguistics

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Beskrivning

A primary goal of contemporary theoretical linguistics is to develop a theory of the correspondence between sound (or gesture) and meaning. This sound-meaning correspondence breaks down completely in the case of ellipsis, and yet various forms of ellipsis are pervasive in natural language: words and phrases which should be in the linguistic signal go missing. How this should be possible is the focus of Jason Merchant's investigation. He focuses on the form of ellipsis known as sluicing, a common feature of interrogative clauses, such as in 'Sally's out hunting - guess what!'; and 'Someone called, but I can't tell you who'. It is the most frequently found cross-linguistic form of ellipsis. Dr Merchant studies the phenomenon across twenty-four languages, and attempts to explain it in linguistic and behavioural terms.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2001-08-16
Mått:162 x 242 x 20 mm
Vikt:556 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Oxford Studies in Theoretical Linguistics
Antal sidor:280
Förlag:OUP OXFORD
ISBN:9780199243730

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Språkvetenskap och lingvistik inom Språk och ordböcker

Mer om författaren

Jason Merchant is Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Chicago, and is the author of many articles on ellipsis and sluicing in particular. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and has been a Mellon postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University and an NWO postdoctoral fellow at the University of Groningen.

Recensioner i media

This is the most comprehensive study of Sluicing to date, and clears up one of its central mysteries: how do sluices evade standard island effects. Merchant brings together extensive comparative work with a careful examination of the syntax-semantics interface, and unveils a completely new typology of island effects. This brilliant work will be the touchstone for research on ellipsis and islands for years to come.

Innehållsförteckning

1. Identity in Ellipsis: Focus and Isomorphism ; 2. The Syntax of Sluicing ; 3. Islands and Form-Identity ; 4. Previous Accounts ; 5. Deletio Redux ; Conclusion