Merchant (2013): Voice and Ellipsis

This file formalizes Merchant's account of the uneven distribution of voice mismatches: an elided VP may differ from its antecedent in voice under VP-ellipsis but not under sluicing, fragment answers, gapping, stripping or pseudogapping. VP-ellipsis deletes vP, the complement of Voice, so Voice is external to the ellipsis site and invisible to the identity condition, whereas the clausal ellipses delete TP or more, which contains VoiceP. No argument-structure alternation, causative, middle, dative or prepositional, survives any ellipsis, since the heads regulating them sit at v or below and so inside every deletion domain. The paper's judgments are recorded as rows and checked against Ellipsis.Tolerates, and Johnson's observation that only repetitive again survives VP-ellipsis follows from the adjunction site of restitutive again.

References

• [Mer13b]
• [Mer04]
• [Kra96]

def Merchant2013.fragmentAnswers : Minimalist.Ellipsis Minimalist.Ellipsis.clausalSpine

Fragment answers move the remnant to Spec,CP and delete TP, the [E] position of sluicing ([Mer04]).

Equations

• Merchant2013.fragmentAnswers = { ePosition := Minimalist.Cat.C }

def Merchant2013.gapping : Minimalist.Ellipsis Minimalist.Ellipsis.clausalSpine

Gapping elides material containing VoiceP, with [E] at C or higher.

Equations

• Merchant2013.gapping = { ePosition := Minimalist.Cat.C }

def Merchant2013.stripping : Minimalist.Ellipsis Minimalist.Ellipsis.clausalSpine

Stripping, bare argument ellipsis, is a subcase of gapping.

Equations

• Merchant2013.stripping = { ePosition := Minimalist.Cat.C }

def Merchant2013.pseudogapping : Minimalist.Ellipsis Minimalist.Ellipsis.clausalSpine

Pseudogapping extracts the remnant from vP and deletes a domain that includes VoiceP, with [E] at T or higher.

Equations

• Merchant2013.pseudogapping = { ePosition := Minimalist.Cat.T }

structure Merchant2013.VoiceMismatchDatum : Type

A voice mismatch datum across an ellipsis boundary.

• description : String
• antecedentVoice : Minimalist.Voice.Head
• targetVoice : Minimalist.Voice.Head
• ellipsisType : Minimalist.Ellipsis Minimalist.Ellipsis.clausalSpine
• grammatical : Bool
• language : String

@[instance_reducible]

instance Merchant2013.instReprVoiceMismatchDatum : Repr VoiceMismatchDatum

Equations

• Merchant2013.instReprVoiceMismatchDatum = { reprPrec := Merchant2013.instReprVoiceMismatchDatum.repr }

def Merchant2013.instReprVoiceMismatchDatum.repr : VoiceMismatchDatum → ℕ → Std.Format

Equations

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def Merchant2013.ex1a : VoiceMismatchDatum

(1a) Active → passive under VPE. "The janitor must remove the trash whenever it is apparent that it should be ⟨removed⟩."

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def Merchant2013.ex2a : VoiceMismatchDatum

(2a) Passive → active under VPE. "The system can be used by anyone who wants to ⟨use it⟩."

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def Merchant2013.ex5 : VoiceMismatchDatum

(5) "*Joe was murdered, but we don't know who."

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def Merchant2013.ex6a : VoiceMismatchDatum

(6a) German: "*Erika hat jemanden ermordet, aber sie wissen nicht, wer."

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def Merchant2013.ex25a : VoiceMismatchDatum

(25a) Greek: "*O Jannis skotose kapjon, ala δen kserume pjos."

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def Merchant2013.ex9a : VoiceMismatchDatum

(9a) German: "Wer hat den Jungen untersucht? — *Von einer Psychologin."

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def Merchant2013.ex10a : VoiceMismatchDatum

(10a) "*Some bring roses and lilies by others."

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def Merchant2013.ex11a : VoiceMismatchDatum

(11a) "*MAX brought the roses, not by AMY!"

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theorem Merchant2013.vpe_voice_predicted : (ex1a.grammatical = true ↔ Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice) ∧ (ex2a.grammatical = true ↔ Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice)

The VP-ellipsis rows are as Ellipsis.Tolerates predicts.

theorem Merchant2013.sluicing_voice_predicted : (ex5.grammatical = true ↔ Minimalist.Ellipsis.sluicing.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice) ∧ (ex6a.grammatical = true ↔ Minimalist.Ellipsis.sluicing.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice) ∧ (ex25a.grammatical = true ↔ Minimalist.Ellipsis.sluicing.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice)

The sluicing rows in three languages are as Ellipsis.Tolerates predicts.

theorem Merchant2013.high_ellipsis_voice_predicted : (ex9a.grammatical = true ↔ fragmentAnswers.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice) ∧ (ex10a.grammatical = true ↔ gapping.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice) ∧ (ex11a.grammatical = true ↔ stripping.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice)

All high ellipsis types block voice mismatches.

structure Merchant2013.ArgStructureDatum : Type

A datum for argument structure alternation under ellipsis.

• description : String
• alternationType : Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch
• ellipsisType : Minimalist.Ellipsis Minimalist.Ellipsis.clausalSpine
• grammatical : Bool

def Merchant2013.instReprArgStructureDatum.repr : ArgStructureDatum → ℕ → Std.Format

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@[instance_reducible]

instance Merchant2013.instReprArgStructureDatum : Repr ArgStructureDatum

Equations

• Merchant2013.instReprArgStructureDatum = { reprPrec := Merchant2013.instReprArgStructureDatum.repr }

def Merchant2013.ex30a : ArgStructureDatum

(30a) "This can freeze. *Please do."

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def Merchant2013.ex31a : ArgStructureDatum

(31a) Greek: "*Eklisan ena δromo, alla δen ksero pjos ⟨eklise⟩"

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def Merchant2013.ex35a : ArgStructureDatum

(35a) "*They market ethanol well in the Midwest, but regular gas doesn't."

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def Merchant2013.ex36a : ArgStructureDatum

(36a) "*Ethanol markets well in the Midwest, though they don't in the South."

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def Merchant2013.ex39a : ArgStructureDatum

(39a) "*They served₁ someone the meal, but I don't know to whom."

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def Merchant2013.ex43a : ArgStructureDatum

(43a) "*They embroidered something with peace signs, but I don't know what on ⟨they embroidered peace signs t⟩"

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def Merchant2013.ex44 : ArgStructureDatum

(44) "*She embroiders peace signs on jackets more often than she does with swastikas."

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theorem Merchant2013.argStructure_data_predicted : (ex30a.grammatical = true ↔ ex30a.ellipsisType.Tolerates ex30a.alternationType) ∧ (ex31a.grammatical = true ↔ ex31a.ellipsisType.Tolerates ex31a.alternationType) ∧ (ex35a.grammatical = true ↔ ex35a.ellipsisType.Tolerates ex35a.alternationType) ∧ (ex36a.grammatical = true ↔ ex36a.ellipsisType.Tolerates ex36a.alternationType) ∧ (ex39a.grammatical = true ↔ ex39a.ellipsisType.Tolerates ex39a.alternationType) ∧ (ex43a.grammatical = true ↔ ex43a.ellipsisType.Tolerates ex43a.alternationType) ∧ (ex44.grammatical = true ↔ ex44.ellipsisType.Tolerates ex44.alternationType)

Each row's grammaticality is as Ellipsis.Tolerates predicts for its alternation and ellipsis.

theorem Merchant2013.v_alternations_blocked_high_ellipsis : ¬Minimalist.Ellipsis.sluicing.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.dative ∧ ¬Minimalist.Ellipsis.sluicing.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.prepositional ∧ ¬Minimalist.Ellipsis.sluicing.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.middle ∧ ¬Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.dative ∧ ¬Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.prepositional ∧ ¬Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.middle ∧ ¬fragmentAnswers.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.dative ∧ ¬gapping.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.middle ∧ ¬pseudogapping.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.prepositional

All v-level alternations are blocked under high-[E] ellipsis types (sluicing, VPE, fragment answers, gapping, pseudogapping) — because v is inside the deletion domain when [E] is at Voice or above. Under vVPE ([E] on v), these alternations ARE tolerated ([Kal26]).

theorem Merchant2013.uneven_distribution : Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice ∧ ¬Minimalist.Ellipsis.sluicing.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice ∧ ¬fragmentAnswers.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice ∧ ¬gapping.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice ∧ ¬stripping.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice ∧ ¬pseudogapping.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice

The uneven distribution is that voice mismatches are tolerated in VP-ellipsis, with [E] low, but blocked in all clausal ellipses, with [E] high.

theorem Merchant2013.voice_uniquely_discriminates : (Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice ∧ ¬Minimalist.Ellipsis.sluicing.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice) ∧ (Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.transitivity ↔ Minimalist.Ellipsis.sluicing.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.transitivity) ∧ (Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.dative ↔ Minimalist.Ellipsis.sluicing.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.dative) ∧ (Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.lexical ↔ Minimalist.Ellipsis.sluicing.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.lexical)

Voice is the discriminating dimension, the only mismatch that distinguishes VP-ellipsis from sluicing; all v-level and V-level dimensions are blocked under both.

theorem Merchant2013.no_inverse_language : Minimalist.Ellipsis.sluicing.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice → Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice

Merchant's negative prediction. If voice mismatches were tolerated in sluicing, with [E] high, Sailor's generalization would force them to be tolerated in VP-ellipsis, with [E] low, so no language has the reverse of the attested pattern.

theorem Merchant2013.voice_between_boundaries : Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice.head = Minimalist.Cat.Voice ∧ ∀ (m : Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch), m ≠ Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice → m.head ∈ Minimalist.Ellipsis.clausalSpine.below Minimalist.Cat.Voice

Voice's discriminating power follows from its spine position: it sits between the VP-ellipsis boundary, Voice, and the sluicing boundary, C, while every other mismatch dimension sits at v or below.

theorem Merchant2013.end_to_end_voice_chain : Minimalist.Voice.agentive ≠ Minimalist.Voice.passive ∧ Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Tolerates Minimalist.Ellipsis.Mismatch.voice ∧ ex1a.grammatical = true ∧ ex2a.grammatical = true

End-to-end chain: Voice severing ([Kra96]) → Merchant's deletion domain theory ([Mer13b]) → voice mismatch asymmetry.

Step 1 (Voice.lean): Active and passive are distinct Voice heads; Voice is an independent head above vP.

Step 2 (Ellipsis.lean): VPE's [E] sits on Voice, deleting vP. Voice is external → mismatches invisible to identity.

Step 3 (this file): Active→passive and passive→active under VPE are both grammatical, as Ellipsis.Tolerates predicts.

theorem Merchant2013.again_confirms_vp_boundary : Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Spares Minimalist.AgainReading.repetitive.site ∧ ¬Minimalist.Ellipsis.vpEllipsis.Spares Minimalist.AgainReading.restitutive.site

The again diagnostic (§4) shows that under VPE only repetitive again, adjoined high to VoiceP, survives, while restitutive again, adjoined low to VP, is inside the deletion domain, which confirms that VPE targets vP rather than VP.