Pseudogapping, parallelism, and the scope of focus

Thoms, G. (2016) Pseudogapping, parallelism, and the scope of focus. Syntax, 19(3), pp. 286-307. (doi: 10.1111/synt.12122)

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Abstract

In this paper I defend a particular analysis of pseudogapping in which the focused remnant is moved by leftward A′-movement (Jayaseelan 2002, Gengel 2013). Noting the superficial similarity between pseudogapping and stripping, I show that pseudogapping is much more restricted than we would expect if it were just another version of stripping, failing to apply across clause boundaries and allowing a much narrower range of remnants. I provide an analysis of these restrictions in terms of Parallelism, arguing that the difference between pseudogapping and stripping is keyed to the different ways in which their correlates may take scope. The proposal accounts for the exceptional behavior of pseudogapping in comparatives, and it leads us to the conclusion that there exists a set of movement operations that occur only in the context of ellipsis.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Thoms, Dr Gary
Authors: Thoms, G.
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > English Language and Linguistics
Journal Name:Syntax
Publisher:Wiley
ISSN:1368-0005
ISSN (Online):1467-9612
Published Online:05 July 2016
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2016 Wiley
First Published:First published in Syntax 19(3):283-307
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher

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