Elliptical Sentences in English. Monograph

by negative semantics and, vice versa, the negative form of the elliptical structure of the question is characterized by the positive semantics, which is observed, for example, in the following DU-2.

Why worry about them?

Because they don't intend to dangle [93].

Why not bring them here?

No, they don't want to come in [101].

Thus, the meaning of motivation with various connotations (advice, invitations, requests, demand, etc.) is realized by the interrogative infinitive elliptical sentences with the negative particle, and in infinitive elliptical sentences without the negative particle the messages with negative semantics are quite evident.

For example:

а) place

Р: Out in two years? H: Probably.

Just right of the tower? – he asked, shouting against the wind. Just starboard, Burchard called back.

b) time

Rodolpho: Forever? C: Yeah [93].

c) quality of action

Vicar: Oh. Dear, seriously? Mrs. Pearce: Ho, he isn't ill [96]. g) volume of actions

Professor: Not much to enjoy then?

Rex: Oh, yes – if you just push it all away and forget about it [97].

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Sometimes these elliptical questions are characterized by the phatic and contact-communicative semantic function. For example:

Mrs. Northrop: (agrees.) Well? Maria: There's a tray with glasses on.

H: Undoubtedly he is meeting with HB Magruder. E: Oh. really?

H: He couldn't have done it.

Pronominal elliptical questions

One-member pronominal elliptical questions indicate (or clarify) persons, events, place of the action and have the semantics of generality and partiality. For example:

It's perfectly true. I feel guilty and ashamed.

And you?

I'm past it [91].

Anything to declare? Nothing [102].

All of it. Sir? All [102].

Anybody I know? Yeah [101].

Professor: There – or here? Marion: Here, I imagine.

Nobody but family? – Nobody but family [101].

The semantic function of one-member substantive and pronominal elliptical special questions, peculiar clichés of the colloquial language consists in expressing the query and inducing the second speaker person for answer to it. For example:

Kettle: What about me? Yeah, I got one [97]. What about the gun? Yeah, I got one [97].

P: How about the others?

HP: You can't guarantee success.

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Adjectival elliptical questions

One-member adjectival elliptical questions have evaluative and qualificative semantics.

For example: Nice?

Yes [102]. Fair enough? Yes, sir.

Correct?

Today.

Ormund: German?

Farrant: Yes, professor of mathematics talking refuge over here. Some of these elliptic sentences have a definite emotional

colouring, expressing amazement, excitement, rudeness, etc. Sometimes the data structures have clarifying meaning when used

in the three-member question-answer DU-3 as the second component. For example:

Ds He’s a strange man, Mr. President.

P: Strange or strong? D: Strange and strong.

Elliptical sentence expressed by the interrogative words

Elliptical structures consisting of only one interrogative word and commonly used as the second components of DE-3 were described as a pronominal-isolated model, for which the the subjective attitude of the speaker to the expressed things is shown [22].

The semantic dependence of the ES in the form of question words from the previous sentence is clearly expressed. They serve to clarify, concretize the thought of the previous declarative sentence. And ES, expressed by question words, points to the semantic information that remained incomprehensible for the listener. In the DU-3 the meaning

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is divided into three parts: the first utterance presents them; the second ES, expressed by a question word, outlines the way of its development; and the third ES contains tne new information, i.e. rheme. The semantic,

in isolation, is not a question and does not express thought. He writes: «Request «where?» forms certain completed thought – question only when it is known where you are rushing... etc. One word «where» is not a thought – question, but a question word in the dictionary [36]. These elliptical structures act as incentives for the subsequent development of the dialogue. For example:

Brick: It just hasn't happened yet, Magg. Margaret: What?

Brick: The click I get in my head when I've had enough of this stuff to make me peaceful [105].

Princess: I want to go to the window Chance: What for?

Princess: To look out of it [110].

The answers to elliptical structures in the form of question words are one-member ES (of nominal or verbal nature). For example:

Frenchie: Give her my regards. Bolodeau: Who?

Prenchie: Your mother.

He's a lawyer, too, although actually he's politician. Where?

In Brooklin [116].

I want to meet this girl then?

Any time [116].

I'm going to phone him and thank him for the car.

Why?

…Common politeness [116].

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2.2.2. Two-member elliptical questions

Two-member elliptical questions with direct word order

Two-member general elliptical question is the affirmativeinterrogative structure, i.e. it is a pragmatically specific structure that stimulates a positive answer. It is in this type of elliptical structure that the semantics of assumptions due to the direct word order in it is expressed. The direct order of words in the general question plays an important role since it makes the ES more meaningful, because it contains elements of confidence in obtaining a positive response. For example:

Agnes: You rang for me?

Mr.Well: Yes. Take these flowers out.

You ever been in trouble with the Law? Yeah [97].

However, the possibility of the negative answers to these elliptical interrogative sentences remains. For example:

You sick?

No, no. Nо me sick [116].

Your brother still here?

…No, he's in Mexico City [118].

In these examples the elliptical question is neutral, in other cases the question contains a strong stylistic coloring and conveys astonishment. For example:

George: You a terrorist? Gerry: Of course [105].

Two-member elliptical questions with represented members.

Two-member elliptical interrogative sentences with represented members of a type Do (don't) you? are found both in the first component of QADU-2 and in the second component of DU-3. In the first case they are homonymous to the connecting parts of the question

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tags, and in the second – refer to a reactive type, «expressing a response to a remark made by the first speaker» [61].

G.Bolinger emphasizes the contextual dependence of these EQ (elliptic question) on the preceeding context. He writes: «The most part of Q-S immediately sequential and take their meaning from what is written in the first sentence: He broke it – Did he? It will not do any good. – Will not it?» [9].

These EQ are synsemantic syntactic constructions, because the basic semantic verb is in the foregoing context. For example:

Birling: You're right. I felt it too. Didn't you?

Mrs. Birling: Well, I must say his manner was quite extraordinary: so-so rude and assertive.

Do you want me to be recognized? Do you? Yes, I do [102].

In some cases they are determined by the forms of adress, conjuctions. For example:

Dinah: Daddy had a blazing row with the man at the bookshop.

Didn't you. Daddy?

Professor: Yes, but I thought he won on points.

William: ... Wives hate them, because they imagine that these fellows have flats somewhere crowded with showgirls drinking champagne-cocktails.

Helen: And have they?

William: Nо, it's all an illusion [116].

Two-member elliptical interrogative structures can act as special ESs. The question word of these elliptical questions programs the semantics of the answering sentences. For example:

Why didn’t you?

It would be disagreeable if Deborah found out [91]. David: Look, how can I?

Sam: Yeah [70].

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The word order in elliptical interrogative sentence can be direct, indicating a greater degree of positive or negative assumptions and doubts. For example:

Clara: I don't know what's come over you, Herbert Soppitt? Soppitt: You don't, eh?

Clara: No, I don't.

That’s common knowledge.

It is?

E: He is going to tell them about a lot of conversation he had with a lot of people.

P: Bittman is? E-Yeah

2.2.3. Elliptical structures as components of the sequence of questions (SofQ)

Semantic characteristics of ES as components of SofQ (sequence of questions) was studied by M.L. Mikhlin (1955), P. Restan (1957), L.G. Friedman (1980), L.P. Vlasenko (1985). One-member and twomember elliptical EQs as the second components of the SofQ are used for the clarification, concretization of the object characteristics or action named in the previous question. These elliptical questions contain the seme of the speaker's assumptions about the nature of the possible answer. For example:

Who stopped them? The state police? said Hofman. No, this time it was enforcement agents [116].

Joan: Is that what you want to do, Kay? Just to write novels and things?

Kay: Yes.

Professor: How do you like those Brengehls? Fascinating, aren't

they?

Edith: Yes, but I'd like to look at them a long time.

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Brick: Who can face truth? Can you?

Big Daddy: Now don't start passing the rotten buck again, boy

[98].

Peter: You can't bear a change? A new place upsets you? Kevin: Yes [103].

Peter: So what shall I do with him? You know where it is you work?

Kevin: Not yet, I don't.

Well, what's the matter? They’re a burglar in the building? No [97].

Thus the semantic analysis of the EQs in the QADU of modern English allows us to conclude that they are characterized by different semantics.

One-member substantive ESs serve as identification of objects, persons, processes, evaluative place of objective reality; they also have appellative (if they are determined by the adjectives) semantic functions. One-member pronominal EQs identify the person, phenomenon and scene of action, having the semantics of generality or particularity. Substantive and pronominal EQs can also realize the semantic function of clarification and concretization.

Verbal (personal and impersonal) EQs identify action. It should be noted that the infinitive interrogative structures are characterized by the divergence between syntactic form and semantical form; adverbial elliptical questions possess the semantics of time, place, quality and quantity of the action; also they have a contact establishing function. Adjectival EQs are characterized by the evaluative-qualificative and semantics. Two-member EQ with a direct word order appears as a pragmatically marked structure, including the seme of positive assumptions of the person who asks it. Two-member EQ with represented members in addition to the query expression has the seme of doubt. ES represented by the interrogative words in the sequence of questions have a concretizing semantics.

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3. SEMANTIC CHARACTERISTIC OF ELLIPTICAL ANSWERS IN THE QUESTION-ANSWER DIALOGICAL UNITY

OF THE MODERN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

3.1. One-member and two-member elliptical answers

One-member substantive elliptical sentences of answer

One-member substantive elliptical answer sentences to special questions beginning with the interrogative words «who», «what» are characterized by the following semantic functions: a) identifying category of a class of objects (individuals), or a single subject (person), phenomenon of nature or objective reality. For example:

a) Sir Charles: What does he write? Miss Wilcott: Books [103].

Mr. Redcliffe: And who are the witnesses?

Babbs: Charles Wykeham and Jack Chesney [103]. Kevin: Well, what was all that now?

Gaston: The heat [103].

Since the subject of this type of interrogative sentences is the reference to personal or subject identification, the answers are represented by substantive ES.

Identification in elliptic answer sentence can be of uncertain nature. For example:

Who introduced the bill?

Some downstate assemblyman [93].

b) identifying category of a class of objects with locative semantics:

Frank: Where shall we find you?

Vivie: At HORIA Praser's chambers. 67 Chancery Lane. For the rest of my life [105].

Deeley: Where can go?

Rate: To China. Or Sicily [108].

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c)identifying category of a class of objects with temporal semantics. For example:

How long would you bе gone? – Two or three weeks [101]. Inspector: When did you meet her again?

Eric: About fortnight afterwards [56].

There are cases of elliptical answers with approximate, rather than specific temporal identification. For example:

When was that?

Years ago [108].

If I ever have to, can I phone you at your office?

Any time [101].

d)answer ES with the semantic function of clarification.

Do you have to go back to New York tomorrow?

Yes, in the morning [101]. Frank: The mother. Is she here? Pread: Yes – inside, at tea [105].

You don't want me to leave him anything in my will? Not a cent, said Samuel Eaton [101].

Crofts: Mayn't a man take an interest in a girl? Mrs. Warren: Not a man like you [105].

Qualificative-evaluative semantic function of elliptic substantive answering sentences is formed by the presence of adjectives. For example:

Lord Cottingley (softly): What sort of fellow is this Communist, Mr. Fletherington?

Fletherington: Not a bad fellow at all. Lord Cottingley [41].

One-member pronominal answering ES

One-member pronominal elliptical answer sentences are characterized by the following semantic functions:

The identification of a person or a subject:

Kitty: Look, there's an ice-cream man up there, who's for ices?

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