A direct interpretation approach to English multiple sluicing constructions

Abstract

This paper proposes a direct interpretational, QUD-based analysis to multiple sluicing constructions, building on Ginzburg & Sag (2000). By implementing the concept of QUD with two quantifiers, we show how the meaning of multiple sluicing constructions can be drawn from the discourse context, even in the absence of explicit linguistic antecedents. This approach does not rely on syntactic movements or deletions, making it capable of accounting for cases without explicit antecedents, cross-clausal multiple sluicing, and island-insensitive structures. Overall, it provides a more flexible account of multiple sluicing phenomena that can accommodate broader data.