Gapping: meaning, definitions and examples
๐ณ๏ธ
gapping
[ หษกรฆpษชล ]
grammatical structure
Gapping is a syntactic phenomenon that occurs in English and other languages where a part of a sentence is omitted because it is understood from context. It typically involves eliding a verb and some of its associated arguments, allowing for a more concise expression. For example, in the sentences 'John can play the guitar, and Mary can (play the guitar) too,' the phrase 'play the guitar' is gapped in the second clause. Gapping is often used in informal speech and can enhance the efficiency of communication by reducing redundancy.
Synonyms
abbreviation, ellipses, omission.
Examples of usage
- I like coffee, and she likes (coffee) too.
- He enjoys hiking, while she enjoys (hiking).
- Tom will go to the store, and Mike will (go to the store) as well.
- They wanted to win, but we wanted (to win).
Translations
Translations of the word "gapping" in other languages:
๐ต๐น lacuna
๐ฎ๐ณ เคเฅเคชเคฟเคเค
๐ฉ๐ช Lรผcke
๐ฎ๐ฉ celah
๐บ๐ฆ ะฟัะพะณะฐะปะธะฝะฐ
๐ต๐ฑ lukฤ
๐ฏ๐ต ใฎใฃใใ
๐ซ๐ท lacune
๐ช๐ธ brecha
๐น๐ท boลluk
๐ฐ๐ท ๊ฐญ
๐ธ๐ฆ ูุฌูุฉ
๐จ๐ฟ mezera
๐ธ๐ฐ medzera
๐จ๐ณ ้ด้
๐ธ๐ฎ vrzel
๐ฎ๐ธ gaps
๐ฐ๐ฟ ะฑะพั ะพััะฝ
๐ฌ๐ช แแแแ
๐ฆ๐ฟ boลluq
๐ฒ๐ฝ brecha
Etymology
The term 'gapping' in linguistics dates back to the mid-20th century, deriving from the English verb 'to gap,' which means to create a gap or to omit something. It was established as a formal description of this syntactic phenomenon within transformational grammar, a theory that explains how sentences can be transformed into different structures. The concept of gapping relates to the broader field of ellipsis, which encompasses other forms of omission in language. As studies in syntax and grammar evolved, particularly through the works of linguists like Noam Chomsky, the understanding and classification of such phenomena became more nuanced, leading to detailed analyses of how gapping operates across various languages. By the late 20th and early 21st centuries, gapping became increasingly recognized as a focal point of interest in theoretical linguistics, revealing much about the relationship between syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.