On Pseudogapping in HPSG

Abstract

English has ellipsis like these examples. (1)a. Sluicing: She read something, but she won't say what[vp]. b. Verb Phrase Ellipsis: She read something and he did [vp] too. c. Pseudogapping: She'll read something to Sam, but she won't [vp] to Billy. d. Gapping: Some read something to Sam and others [vp] to Billy. e. Right Node Raising: She deliberately [vp], and he accidentally, read something. f. Comparative Deletion: Mary has read more books than Bill has [vp]. Sentences in (1) have a certain phenomenon in common. In those sentences except (1e), reduplicated elements of the right clause are elided, remaining their antecedent in the left clause. vP-ellipsis is referred to phenomenon that the vP in the right clause is elided, except an auxiliary verb. On the other hand, gapping involves the deletion of finite verb, remaining its arguments. Pseudogapping shares its characteristics with gapping and vP ellipsis. Generally, pseudogapping occurs in coordination structures, such as (1c). However, it is related to not only coordination structures, but also subordination structures and comparative structures.