영어 비교구문에서의 단일성분화 생략과 구조적 평행성 조건

Abstract

Comparative Stripping (CS) is to delete all of a comparative clause except for one constituent that contrasts with a counterpart in the preceding main clause. The deletion operation is subject to the structural parallelism condition, which requires that comparative and main clauses be parallel, i.e., have coordinate-like structure. This paper examines and investigates the overt and the covert representation of the CS construction, which meets the parallelism condition. In particular, it demonstrates that structural parallelism for CS is created dynamically by overt extraposition of a comparative clause. The scope of extraposition engenders ambiguous or non-ambiguous structural interpretations of elided constituents that result from CS. Incidentally, CS, Coordinate Stripping and VP Ellipsis are distinguished in overt syntax by structural parallelism and the operation of extraposition The paper also shows that structural parallelism holds in covert syntax for a main and a comparative clause involving CS. Since a comparative clause has overtly formed parallel structure with a main clause, only the former cannot undergo a further covert movement like quantifier raising owing to the Coordinate Structure Constraint. This is why the CS construction does not pattem in quantificational interpretation with other comparative constructions.