Bacskai-Atkari Julia. Deletion phenomena in comparative constructions: English comparatives in a cross-linguistic perspective

Berlin: Language Science Press, 2018. — viii, 237 p. — (Open Generative Syntax 3). — ISBN 978-3-96110-083-5.This book provides a new analysis for the syntax of comparatives, focusing on various deletion phenomena affecting the subclause. In particular, the proposed account shows that Comparative Deletion is merely a surface phenomenon that can be drawn back to the overtness of the comparative operator and the availability of lower copies of a movement chain, and it is thus subject to both language-internal and cross-linguistic variation. The main focus of the book is on English, yet other languages are also discussed for gaining cross-linguistic insights, with the aim of showing what the idiosyncratic properties of English comparatives are.Acknowledgements.
Introduction.
Aims and scope.
The structure of comparatives.
The problems to be discussed.
The structure of degree expressions.Earlier accounts.
The problems to be discussed.
Much-deletion — Bresnan (1973).
A DP-shell for comparatives — Izvorski (1995).
Much-support — Corver (1997).
The QP–DegP analysis — Lechner (1999; 2004).
Towards the analysis.
Predicative and attributive adjectives.
Arguments of adjectives.
Phases and deletion.
Comparative Deletion.Earlier accounts.
The problems to be discussed.
Comparative Deletion and identity — Bresnan (1973).
Comparative Deletion and coordination — Lechner (1999; 2004).
Comparative Deletion and movement — Kennedy (2002).
Constraints on deletion.
An analysis of Comparative Deletion.
General considerations.
Predicative versus attributive and nominal structures.
Comparative Subdeletion.
The structure of degree expressions revisited.
On Hungarian operators.
Operator positions.
Proforms.
Operators in English.
Operators cross-linguistically.
The Overtness Requirement.
The role of information structure.
Attributive Comparative Deletion.Earlier accounts.
The problems to be discussed.
Attributive modification — Kennedy & Merchant (2000).
Gapping in Spanish — Reglero (2006).
Verb deletion — an alternative approach.
The lack of Attributive Comparative Deletion.
The Overtness Requirement revisited.
More on attributive modification.
Lower copies and movement chains.Multiple operator movement — Bošković (2002).
Predicative comparatives in Czech and Polish.
Attributive comparatives in Czech and Polish.
Movement chains.
More on cross-linguistic differences.
Ellipsis without Comparative Deletion.Ellipsis in English.
VP-ellipsis revisited.
Different domains of ellipsis and syntactic ambiguity.
Ellipsis in Hungarian.
Sluicing and VP-ellipsis.
Contrastive verbs in predicative structures.
Contrastive verbs in attributive and nominal structures.
More on cross-linguistic differences.
Conclusion.

Index.
Name index.
Language index.
Subject index.