You have the right to remain silent The

“You have the right to remain silent” The syntactic licensing of ellipsis Lobke Aelbrecht Research presentation for Lingforum, Ghent University

General overview 1. 2. 3. 4. What is ellipsis? Restrictions on ellipsis Case study: Dutch modal complement ellipsis (MCE) Conclusion

General overview 1. 2. 3. 4. What is ellipsis? Restrictions on ellipsis Case study: Dutch modal complement ellipsis (MCE) Conclusion

1. What is ellipsis? (1) Working definition: Ellipsis is a mismatch between sound and meaning in which certain selectional requirements are not met in the phonetic realization.

1. What is ellipsis? (2) (1) Ryan has made a mojito, and Jasmin has, too. Interpretation (meaning): Ryan has made a mojito, and Jasmin has made a mojito, too. Phonetic realization (sound): Ryan has made a mojito, and Jasmin has _, too. The verb phrase selected for by the perfective auxiliary has is left unpronounced.

1. What is ellipsis? (3) Ryan has made a mojito, … = antecedent …and Jasmin has [made a mojito], too. = ellipsis site

1. What is ellipsis? (4) What is not ellipsis? Not all expressions with a mismatch between sound and meaning are considered ellipsis in the generative framework I am using signs, labels, titles and certain fixed expressions get an interpretation richer than what is phonetically expressed, but they do not seem to contain any syntax

1. What is ellipsis? (5) (2) a. Minute Maid (label on a box of fruit juice) Interpretation: This is a box of Minute Maid. b. Gent 40 km (sign next to the highway) Interpretation: The distance from here to Ghent is 40 kilometers. c. Anderlecht – Club Brugge: 3 – 1 Interpretation: The soccer team of Anderlecht beat the soccer team Club Brugge by 3 goals to 1. Generally not considered ellipsis in the generative framework

1. What is ellipsis? (6) Note: it is not always clear whether an expression contains syntax or not headlines, diary style writing, directions, recipes, instructions (3) a. Woman wins lottery at first attempt b. Went to see Bob Dylan today. c. If no paper, turn wheel unclear whether these cases involve ellipsis or not I do not discuss them and focus on clearer cases

1. What is ellipsis? (7) Back to the clearer ellipsis cases: (1) Ryan has made a mojito, and Jasmin has, too. In the generative framework, an utterance consists of 3 parts (roughly): - Phonology (pronunciation) Semantics (interpretation) Syntax (hierarchical structure)

1. What is ellipsis? (8) Ellipsis: semantics and phonology do not match Crucial question: what is present in the syntax? Does the syntax match the interpretation? Does the syntax match what is pronounced? 3 possible analyses for ellipsis in Minimalism (Generative Linguistics): WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) WYSIAWYG (what you see is almost what you get) WYSINWYG (what you see is not what you get)

1. What is ellipsis? (9) WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) (4) Iemand heeft mijn fiets gestolen, en ik denk someone has my bike stolen and I think dat ik weet wie. that I know who “Someone stole my bike and I think I know who. ” Interpretation: Someone stole my bike and I think I know who stole my bike.

1. What is ellipsis? (10) WYSIWYG: There is nothing more in the syntax than what is phonetically expressed. Weten ‘know’ simply selects wie ‘who’ as its complement; there is no deleted clause.

1. What is ellipsis? (11) Counterargument In Dutch embedded clauses nominal objects precede the verb, unlike sentential complements: (5) a. Hij zegt dat he says that b. * Hij zegt dat he says that c. Hij zegt dat he says that d. * Hij zegt dat he says that hij [NP het antwoord] wist. he the answer knew hij wist [NP het antwoord]. he knew the answer hij wist [CP dat Sarah ziek was]. he knew that Sarah ill was hij [CP dat Sarah ziek was] wist. he that Sarah ill was knew

1. What is ellipsis? (12) (6) Iemand heeft mijn fiets gestolen, en ik denk someone has my bike stolen and I think dat ik weet wie. that I know who Wie behaves like a sentential complement, not like a nominal object.

1. What is ellipsis? (13) WYSIAWYG (what you see is almost what you get) Ellipsis site = an unpronounced pronoun pro that gets interpretation from the antecedent, just like a regular pronoun (7) a. Iemand heeft mijn fiets gestolen, en ik denk dat ik weet wie pro. b. Iemand heeft mijn fiets gestolen, en ik wist someone has my bike stolen and I knew dat niet. that not dat/that = that someone stole my bike

1. What is ellipsis? (14) There is something more in the syntax than what you hear, but there is no internal syntactic structure in the ellipsis site. = proform analysis

1. What is ellipsis? (15) WYSINWYG (what you see is not what you get) ellipsis site = a fully-fledged syntactic structure that is left unpronounced (8) Iemand heeft mijn fiets gestolen, en ik denk dat ik weet wie [mijn fiets gestolen heeft]. Ellipsis is an extreme form of whispering. = deletion analysis

1. What is ellipsis? (16) How can we decide which analysis is correct? test: movement out of the ellipsis site

1. What is ellipsis? (17) Movement: when an element is not pronounced in the position where it gets its thematic role (9) What did Ryan give to Jasmin? In the Minimalist framework structures are built bottom-up: First the predicate is merged with its arguments to form a verb phrase; then tense, aspect, and speech act information are added to the structure. What is base-generated in the object position of give, from which it gets its Patient role: give what Ө

1. What is ellipsis? (18) From there it moves to the first position in the sentence: (10) What did Ryan give twhat to Jasmin? did Ryan give to Jasmin what

1. What is ellipsis? (19) Evidence from echo questions and multiple whquestions: (11) a. b. Ryan gave what to Jasmin? To who did Ryan give what? What occurs in its base position here.

1. What is ellipsis? (20) Test: movement out of an ellipsis site Movement out of the ellipsis site is possible. deletion analysis The moved constituent can only be connected to its base position if there is internal structure in the ellipsis site. Movement out of the ellipsis site is impossible. proform analysis When there is no internal structure, there is nothing to move or to move out from.

1. What is ellipsis? (21) Movement is possible VP Ellipsis: (12) I know which cocktail Ryan made, but I don’t remember which cocktail Jasmin did. (12’) I know which cocktail Ryan made, but I don’t remember which cocktail Jasmin did [make twhich cocktail]. deletion

1. What is ellipsis? (22) Movement is impossible Null Complement Anaphora (NCA) (13) I asked Ryan to make a mojito, but he refused. (13’) *I know which cocktail Ryan made, but I don’t remember which (cocktail) he refused proform

General overview 1. 2. 3. 4. What is ellipsis? Restrictions on ellipsis Case study: Dutch modal complement ellipsis (MCE) Conclusion

2. Restrictions on ellipsis (1) Two restrictions on ellipsis Recoverability Syntactic licensing

2. Restrictions on ellipsis (2) Recoverability Ellipsis needs an antecedent; otherwise it is impossible for the hearer to interpret the ellipsis site. (14) [uttered out of the blue] *Jasmin has, too.

2. Restrictions on ellipsis (3) Syntactic licensing (Semantic) recoverability of the ellipsis site is not enough. The syntactic environment also plays a role.

2. Restrictions on ellipsis (4) Not all recoverable elements are elidable. (15) * Ryan can make a cocktail and Jasmin knows [a cocktail], too. Differences between languages in allowing ellipsis. (16)a. Ryan has made a cocktail, and Jasmin has [made a cocktail], too. b. *Peter heeft een cocktail gemaakt en Kim heeft ook [een cocktail gemaakt].

2. Restrictions on ellipsis (5) Main research topic: How is ellipsis syntactically licensed, i. e. in which syntactic configurations is ellipsis allowed?

General overview 1. 2. 3. 4. What is ellipsis? Restrictions on ellipsis Case study: Dutch modal complement ellipsis (MCE) Conclusion

3. Dutch modal complement ellipsis (17) Ik wil wel naar je feestje komen, maar ik I want prt to your party come but I mag niet. am. allowed not “I want to come to your party, but I’m not allowed to. ” Interpretation: I want to come to your party, but I’m not allowed to [come to your party]. The modal selects an infinitival complement that is not phonetically realized. ellipsis

3. Dutch modal complement ellipsis Modal complement ellipsis is only possible with modal verbs. Not allowed with temporal or passive auxiliaries: (18) a. * Peter heeft gewerkt, maar Kim heeft niet. Peter has worked but Kim has not b. * Peter is aan het werken, maar Kim is niet. Peter is working but Kim is not c. * Peter zal werken, maar Kim zal niet. Peter will work but Kim will not d. * Die broek is gewassen, maar die rok is niet. those pants is washed but that skirt is not

3. Dutch modal complement ellipsis Overview 3. 1 Modals are raising verbs 3. 2 Subjects versus objects 3. 3 Analyzing modal complement ellipsis

3. 1 Modals are raising verbs (1) What is a raising verb? (19) Addie seemed to laugh. Seem assigns a Theme role to the infinitival clause. The subject gets an Agent role from the infinitive and raises up to the surface subject position. (20) Addiei seemed [inf ti to laugh]. Ө Ө

3. 1 Modals are raising verbs (2) Diagnostic test: impersonal passives in Dutch (21) Er lijkt gedanst te worden. there seems danced to become “There seems to be dancing going on. ” Expletive er cannot take an Agent role. A raising verb does not assign an Agent role. (22) Eri lijkt [inf gedanst te worden]. Ө

3. 1 Modals are raising verbs (3) What about modals? All modals, except for willen, are raising verbs. Impersonal passive: (23) a. Er mag gedanst worden vanavond. there is. allowed danced become tonight b. Er moet gedanst worden vanavond. there must danced become tonight c. Er kan gedanst worden vanavond. there can danced become tonight d. Er hoeft niet gedanst te worden. there needs not danced to become e. * Er wil gedanst worden. there wants danced become

3. 1 Modals are raising verbs (4) Modals are raising verbs (except for willen). They do not assign Agent roles. The subject is base-generated inside the infinitival complement and raises up to the surface subject position. (24) a. Theano moet werken. Theano must work b. Theano moet [inf t. Theano werken]

3. Dutch modal complement ellipsis Overview 3. 1 Modals are raising verbs 3. 2 Subjects versus objects 3. 3 Analyzing modal complement ellipsis

3. 2 Subject versus objects (1) Subjects: (25) Ik mag niet [tik naar je feestje komen]. I am. allowed not to your party come Ө The subject ik gets its Agent role from komen. Modal complement ellipsis (26) Ik wil wel naar je feestje komen, maar ik I want prt to your party come but I mag niet. am. allowed not Where does the Agent role for ik come from now?

3. 2 Subject versus objects (2) (26’) Ik wil wel naar je feestje komen, maar ik mag niet [tik naar je feestje komen]. Under the deletion analysis there is a verb komen present in the ellipsis site, assigning an Agent role to the subject ik. (26’’) …[ik naar je feestje komen]. Ө The subject then moves to the surface subject position. (26’’’) …maar mag niet [ ik naar je feestje komen].

3. 2 Subject versus objects (3) Objects: (27) Ik weet wie Thomas MOET uitnodigen, maar ik I know who Thomas must invite but I weet niet wie hij niet MAG uitnodigen. know not who he not is. allowed invite The object wie also gets its Patient role from the embedded infinitive uitnodigen. (27’) Ik weet wie Thomas MOET uitnodigen, maar ik weet niet wie hij niet MAG [thij uitnodigen twie]. Ө Ө Expectation: (27) is also grammatical with ellipsis.

3. 2 Subject versus objects (4) This expectation is not borne out: (28) *Ik weet wie Thomas MOET uitnodigen, maar ik I know who Thomas must invite but I weet niet wie hij niet MAG. know not who he not is. allowed Subject/object contrast goes back to the discussion on how ellipsis should be analyzed: deletion or proform?

3. Dutch modal complement ellipsis Overview 3. 1 Modals are raising verbs 3. 2 Subjects versus objects 3. 3 Analyzing modal complement ellipsis

3. 3 Analyzing modal complement ellipsis (1) Subjects can move out of the ellipsis site: (29) Ik wil wel naar je feestje komen, maar I want prt to your party come but ik mag niet [tik naar je feestje I am. allowed not to your party komen]. come deletion?

3. 3 Analyzing modal complement ellipsis (2) Objects cannot move out: (30) *Ik weet wie Thomas MOET uitnodigen, I know who Thomas must invite maar ik weet niet wie hij niet MAG but I know not who he not is. allowed [twie uitnodigen]. invite proform?

3. 3 Analyzing modal complement ellipsis (3) Claim: Dutch modal complement ellipsis involves deletion of a syntactically present infinitival clause. The ban on object movement is due to the timing of ellipsis.

3. 3 Analysing modal complement ellipsis (4) Ellipsis requires the presence of a certain head, the licensor. Modal complement ellipsis (MCE) is only allowed with modal verbs, not with temporal or passive auxiliaries The licensor of MCE is the modal verb.

3. 3 Analysing modal complement ellipsis (5) Claim: The ellipsis site is deleted when the licensing head enters the structure. Consequence: An element can move out of the ellipsis site if it moves to a position between licensor and ellipsis site. (31) … … licensor ellipsis site XP … XP ellipsis site …

3. 3 Analysing modal complement ellipsis (6) Solution to the movement puzzle: Subjects move to a position between the licensor and the ellipsis site prior to ellipsis. (32) … … modal ellipsis site subj … subj ellipsis site

3. 3 Analysing modal complement ellipsis (7) This position between the licensor and the ellipsis site is not accessible to objects. (33) … … modal … ellipsis site …obj…

General overview 1. 2. 3. 4. What is ellipsis? Restrictions on ellipsis Dutch modal complement ellipsis Conclusion

Conclusion • • Ellipsis = a mismatch between sound and meaning in which certain selectional requirements are not met in the phonetic realization. Ellipsis is subject to two restrictions: recoverability syntactic licensing Ellipsis needs a licensing head and the ellipsis site is deleted when this licensor enters the structure. As a consequence, only what moves to a position between the licensor and the ellipsis site can escape the ellipsis site.

Thank you for your attention!