Sluicing, Idioms, and Island Repair

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 651-668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Rottman ◽  
Masaya Yoshida
Keyword(s):  
Resumptive Pronouns ◽  
Island Repair

In this article, we investigate idiom reconstruction in the context of sluicing constructions. We demonstrate that some idioms in English are not compatible with resumptive pronouns. On the basis of this observation, we argue that sluicing involves wh-gap dependencies rather than wh-resumptive pronoun dependencies, and that the island amelioration effect of sluicing does not result primarily from the island amelioration effect of resumptive pronouns.

scholarly journals Understanding Syntactic and Semantic Errors in the Composition Writing of Jordanian EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Yazan Shaker Almahameed ◽  
May Al-Shaikhli
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Resumptive Pronouns ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Semantic Errors ◽  
Verb Tense

The current study aimed at investigating the salient syntactic and semantic errors made by Jordanian English foreign language learners as writing in English. Writing poses a great challenge for both native and non-native speakers of English, since writing involves employing most language sub-systems such as grammar, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation. A total of 30 Jordanian English foreign language learners participated in the study. The participants were instructed to write a composition of no more than one hundred and fifty words on a selected topic. Essays were collected and analyzed statistically to obtain the needed results. The results of the study displayed that syntactic errors produced by the participants were varied, in that eleven types of syntactic errors were committed as follows; verb-tense, agreement, auxiliary, conjunctions, word order, resumptive pronouns, null-subject, double-subject, superlative, comparative and possessive pronouns. Amongst syntactic errors, verb tense errors were the most frequent with 33%. The results additionally revealed that two types of semantic errors were made; errors at sentence level and errors at word level. Errors at word level outstripped by far errors at sentence level, scoring respectively 82% and 18%. It can be concluded that the syntactic and semantic knowledge of Jordanian learners of English is still insufficient.

The Pronoun Which Comprehenders Who Process It in Islands Derive a Benefit

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Christopher Hammerly
Keyword(s):  
Ongoing Debate ◽  
Active Filler ◽  
Resumptive Pronouns ◽  
Online Processing ◽  
Memory Resources

There is ongoing debate about the role that resumptive pronouns play in the processing of islands in intrusive resumption languages such as English. This squib provides evidence that resumptive pronouns facilitate the comprehension of islands in online processing. The results fall in line with filler-gap processing more generally: when fillers are difficult or impossible to keep active, resumption provides support for forming a dependency. This occurs when dependencies span multiple clauses, when memory resources are otherwise taxed, or, as the present paper shows, when grammatical constraints such as islands prohibit the use of the active filler strategy.

Pronominal resumption in Spanish direct object relative clauses

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-301
Author(s):  
Álvaro Cerrón-Palomino
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Relative Clauses ◽  
Direct Object ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Resumptive Pronouns ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
The Social ◽  
Object Relative

Abstract This variationist study analyzes the linguistic and social factors constraining the alternation of resumptive pronouns (RPs) and gaps in direct object (DO) relative clauses (RCs) in the Peruvian Limeño variety. Using a number of mixed-effects (logistic regression) models in Rbrul, results reveal that the set of linguistic constraints favoring pronominal DO resumption does not coincide with those reported to promote subject and oblique RP presence in previous studies. Furthermore, when compared to their subject and oblique counterparts, DO RPs are constrained by a higher number of factors of syntactic, semantic, processing and pragmatic nature. I suggest that this sensitivity to a broader set of constraints is crucial in explaining why DO RPs are more frequent in RCs than subject and oblique RPs. With respect to the social factors analyzed, this study shows a lack of effect of gender, age and education on the speaker’s choice for the resumptive variant.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document