[Lingtyp] query: 1st syllable deletion

[David Gil]

Dear all,

English seems to have a rule which, under particular conditions, allows 
for the first syllable of an utterance to be deleted.The first example 
below is from a movie that I saw last night, the next two are made up:

(1) (What) The fuck happened to you?

(2) (Are) You going home yet?

(3) (I) Think it's gonna rain

And there's also the formulaic "Wish you were here".

My questions:

1. Has anybody written about this? Seems like it could be interestingfor 
a number of reasons.

2. Are there similar phenomena in other languages? (Haven't seen 
anything like it in the other languages I happen to be familiar with.)

Thanks,

David

-- 
David Gil

Senior Scientist (Associate)
Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany

Email:gil at shh.mpg.de
Mobile Phone (Israel): +972-526117713
Mobile Phone (Indonesia): +62-082113720302
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