Gapping
Encyclopedia
Gapping is a term in linguistics
that refers to clauses in which all verbal elements have been omitted, but in which internal arguments of the verb (direct object, indirect object, prepositional or other phrases) remain. Gapping is characteristically found in coordinate structures, as in (1):
In (1), the second conjunct has the subject others, the object rice, but the verb has been 'gapped', that is, omitted. Gapping can span several verbs and nonfinite clause boundaries, as in (2), but it cannot apply across a finite clause boundary, as seen in (3):
The sentence in (3) is acceptable only when the gap is understood to mean spoke, not when it is taken to span the embedded clause boundary (with the intended, but unavailable, meaning said that they spoke).
Gapping has been the subject of analysis since the early days of generative grammar
, with most early analyses taking gapping to be a kind of ellipsis
, while some more recent analyses have argued that the verb undergoes across-the-board movement out of both conjuncts.
Gapping is found in many languages, where its properties depend in part on the nature of the language. In SVO languages, the gap is always in a noninitial conjunct (as in English: this is also known as forward gapping), while in SOV languages such as Japanese
, the gap is in the nonfinal conjunct (also known as backward gapping).
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
that refers to clauses in which all verbal elements have been omitted, but in which internal arguments of the verb (direct object, indirect object, prepositional or other phrases) remain. Gapping is characteristically found in coordinate structures, as in (1):
- (1) Some ate bread, and others rice.
In (1), the second conjunct has the subject others, the object rice, but the verb has been 'gapped', that is, omitted. Gapping can span several verbs and nonfinite clause boundaries, as in (2), but it cannot apply across a finite clause boundary, as seen in (3):
- (2) Sam wants to start to learn German, and Charlene Spanish.
- (3) *Sam said that they spoke German, and Charlene Spanish.
The sentence in (3) is acceptable only when the gap is understood to mean spoke, not when it is taken to span the embedded clause boundary (with the intended, but unavailable, meaning said that they spoke).
Gapping has been the subject of analysis since the early days of generative grammar
Generative grammar
In theoretical linguistics, generative grammar refers to a particular approach to the study of syntax. A generative grammar of a language attempts to give a set of rules that will correctly predict which combinations of words will form grammatical sentences...
, with most early analyses taking gapping to be a kind of ellipsis
Ellipsis
Ellipsis is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate an unfinished thought or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence...
, while some more recent analyses have argued that the verb undergoes across-the-board movement out of both conjuncts.
Gapping is found in many languages, where its properties depend in part on the nature of the language. In SVO languages, the gap is always in a noninitial conjunct (as in English: this is also known as forward gapping), while in SOV languages such as Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, the gap is in the nonfinal conjunct (also known as backward gapping).