Thoms, G., Adger, D., Heycock, C. and Smith, J. (2019) Syntactic variation and auxiliary contraction: the surprising case of Scots. Language, 95(3), pp. 421-455. (doi: 10.1353/lan.0.0236)
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Abstract
This article is concerned with the distribution of contracted auxiliaries in English, in particular the re- striction against their occurrence in the immediate context of a gap created by movement or ellipsis. We document apparent exceptions to this restriction in varieties of Scots, all occurring in what we call the LOCATIVE DISCOVERY EXPRESSION. We analyse these as mirative constructions, and using new data from the Scots Syntax Atlas we describe patterns of variation in the acceptance of auxiliary contractions in locative discovery expressions which provide clues as to the role of syntax in conditioning auxiliary contraction. Adapting the proposal in Wilder (1997), where contracted auxiliaries are prosodically incorporated into the following predicate, we provide an account in which the differences across dialects with respect to contraction are explained in terms of the availability of different abstract structures.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Smith, Professor Jennifer and Thoms, Dr Gary |
| Authors: | Thoms, G., Adger, D., Heycock, C., and Smith, J. |
| College/School: | College of Arts > School of Critical Studies > English Language and Linguistics |
| Journal Name: | Language |
| Publisher: | Linguistic Society of America |
| ISSN: | 1537-7350 |
| ISSN (Online): | 1535-0665 |
| Published Online: | 07 August 2019 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2019 The Authors |
| First Published: | First published in Language 95(3): 421-455 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy |
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