On prepositional ellipsis and the factors which block its application in Maltese
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Thomas Stolz
Abstract
This study is meant to sketch some aspects of the behavior of PPs with identical heads under coordination. It is shown that there is variation of coordinative constructions which realize both of the prepositions and those constructions which give evidence of ellipsis of the second preposition. It is argued that this variation is not random but rule-governed. Some semantic and formal properties of the complements of the PPs are discussed in connection to the possibility that they trigger or block ellipsis. A quantitative analysis of twentyone Maltese prepositions which are involved in coordinative constructions complements the study. The statistical evidence depicts ellipsis as the primary option. The paper concludes with pinpointing a number of follow-up studies which are needed to find answers for the remaining open questions.
Abstract
This study is meant to sketch some aspects of the behavior of PPs with identical heads under coordination. It is shown that there is variation of coordinative constructions which realize both of the prepositions and those constructions which give evidence of ellipsis of the second preposition. It is argued that this variation is not random but rule-governed. Some semantic and formal properties of the complements of the PPs are discussed in connection to the possibility that they trigger or block ellipsis. A quantitative analysis of twentyone Maltese prepositions which are involved in coordinative constructions complements the study. The statistical evidence depicts ellipsis as the primary option. The paper concludes with pinpointing a number of follow-up studies which are needed to find answers for the remaining open questions.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Contents v
- Maltese linguistics: What is new? vii
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Part 1: New looks into the past
- On the phonology of Sicilian Arabic and early Maltese 3
- Aspects of the comparison between Maltese, Mediterranean Lingua Franca and the Occitan-Catalan linguistic group (13th–15th centuries) 39
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Part 2: Maltese, and just Maltese
- Modifiers and complements within the Maltese verb sequence 67
- Focus particles in Maltese: A corpus survey 87
- On prepositional ellipsis and the factors which block its application in Maltese 121
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Part 3: Beyond Maltese, now and then
- Verbal negation with muš in Maltese and Eastern Mediterranean Arabics 151
- Maltese kiteb vs. Tunisian (Sūsa) ktib 173
- The phonetic study of speakers along the Maltese-English continuum 193
- The visibility and salience of Maltese in bilingual Malta’s linguistic landscape 225
- The myth of the mixed languages 245
- Index of Authors 267
- Index of Languages 271
- Index of Subjects 273
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Contents v
- Maltese linguistics: What is new? vii
-
Part 1: New looks into the past
- On the phonology of Sicilian Arabic and early Maltese 3
- Aspects of the comparison between Maltese, Mediterranean Lingua Franca and the Occitan-Catalan linguistic group (13th–15th centuries) 39
-
Part 2: Maltese, and just Maltese
- Modifiers and complements within the Maltese verb sequence 67
- Focus particles in Maltese: A corpus survey 87
- On prepositional ellipsis and the factors which block its application in Maltese 121
-
Part 3: Beyond Maltese, now and then
- Verbal negation with muš in Maltese and Eastern Mediterranean Arabics 151
- Maltese kiteb vs. Tunisian (Sūsa) ktib 173
- The phonetic study of speakers along the Maltese-English continuum 193
- The visibility and salience of Maltese in bilingual Malta’s linguistic landscape 225
- The myth of the mixed languages 245
- Index of Authors 267
- Index of Languages 271
- Index of Subjects 273
