A Generalized Reconstruction Algorithm For Ellipsis Resolution

We present an algorithm which assigns interpretations to several major types of ellipsis structures through a generalized procedure of syntactic reconstruction. Ellipsis structures are taken to be sequences of lexically realized arguments and/or adjuncts of an empty verbal head. Reconstruction is characterized as the specification of a (partial) correspondence relation between the unrealized head verb of an elided clause and its argument and adjuncts on one hand, and the head of a non-elided antecedent sentence and its arguments and adjuncts on the other. The algorithm generates appropriate interpretations for cases of VP ellipsis, pseudo-gapping, bare ellipsis (stripping), and gapping. It provides a uniform computational approach to a wide range of ellipsis phenomena, and it has significant advantages over several other approaches to ellipsis which have recently been suggested in the computational and linguistic literature.