The syntactic constraint on English auxiliary contraction
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10140239 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard Hudson (0000-0002-0269-6246, University College London), Nikolas Gisborne (0009-0004-0310-2915, University of Edinburgh, corresponding author), Thomas Hikaru Clark (0000-0002-1720-0450, Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology), Eva Duran Eppler (0000-0001-8010-1765, University of Roehampton), Willem B Hollmann (0000-0001-6647-6915, University of Edinburgh), Andrew Rosta, Graeme Trousdale (0000-0002-4148-166X, University of Edinburgh) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-32 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Linguistics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-2267 • E-ISSN: 1469-7742 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0022226725000131 |
| OpenAlex | W4408917810 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 38 |
We offer a new explanation for the difference between cases where an auxiliary verb can and cannot contract, such as Kim is coming versus Kim is. Rather than a banning constraint, we argue that there is a positive syntactic licensing constraint. We consider, and reject, both the familiar Gap Restriction and a range of phonological explanations. Our analysis rests on the category of grammatical relations, valent , which includes all non-adjuncts (i.e. all subjects and complements); the analysis consists of a single claim, the F ollowing V alent C onstraint : that a contracted auxiliary has an overt following valent. We show how this analysis explains the full range of data that has been discussed in the literature and how a minor variant of the constraint captures the data of the Scots locative discovery expressions . We also propose a sociolinguistic explanation for the inability of auxiliaries to contract in certain environments, such as after a preposed negative. Finally, we suggest a functional explanation for the proposed constraint: It allows the hearer to predict the presence of a following valent and thereby to manage the burden of processing
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |