The Identity Requirements of Verb-Stranding VP Ellipsis
Lotus Goldberg, Brandeis University
Abstract:
Verb-Stranding VP Ellipsis, a construction found in Modern Hebrew, Irish, and Swahili, shares the core behavioral traits of English VP Ellipsis--with the key difference that the main verb of the VP targeted for ellipsis remains overt rather than eliding. In this talk, I consider the implications of this construction's traits for the question of what types of antecedent-target clause identity are necessary for (VP) Ellipsis. Particular attention will be given to the "Verbal Identity Requirement" on this construction: a generalization by which the overt target clause main verb must be identical to the main verb of the antecedent clause.
Last Modified: March 29, 2006