Rebinding and Derivational VP Ellipsis Licensing

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper proposes a derivational approach to the licensing of VP ellipsis that resolves the apparent temporal paradox between the timing of ellipsis licensing and the assessment of referential recoverability. By examining the distribution of sloppy readings in rebinding configurations, I argue that referential recoverability is evaluated in narrow syntax, in tandem with [E]-feature agreement and the interpretation is monotonically determined. In addition, when syntactic licensing is suspended, the assessment of referential recoverability may be suspended as well. This proposal introduces flexibility into the domain of referential recoverability, thereby allowing the licensing of otherwise unexpected sloppy readings in certain rebinding configurations. Finally, I show how this system can be extended to Korean VP ellipsis and discuss the theoretical implications of the proposal for the licensor of Korean VP ellipsis.