11.2155, Sum: "Be" Omission in Newscasts

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LINGUIST List:  Vol-11-2155. Fri Oct 6 2000. ISSN: 1068-4875.

Subject: 11.2155, Sum: "Be" Omission in Newscasts

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=================================Directory=================================

1)
Date:  Thu, 5 Oct 2000 23:48:34 -0400 (EDT)
From:  cschutze at MIT.EDU (Carson T Schutze)
Subject:  omitted 'be' in newscasts

-------------------------------- Message 1 -------------------------------

Date:  Thu, 5 Oct 2000 23:48:34 -0400 (EDT)
From:  cschutze at MIT.EDU (Carson T Schutze)
Subject:  omitted 'be' in newscasts

Re: 11.1880
A few weeks ago I posted a query about the use of English sentences with
omitted 'be' as (apparently) matrix assertions, for example in newscasts.
Thanks to the respondents: Richard Ingham, Martin Kay, Jim Vanden Bosch and
Hank Mooney.

No one knew of a systematic study of this, but people did point out other
contexts where something similar seems to occur:

- traffic reports
- sponsorship announcements ('That accident report brought to you by Firestone')
- sports play-by-play (which may take it further, apparently omitting
  contentful main verbs too, e.g. 'Beckam back to Stam' with omission of
  'passes')

In addition to my suggestion of a partial similarity with Headlinese, another
avenue of exploration suggested was absolute constructions.
It was pointed out that other manifestations of finiteness are not omitted in
this register, i.e. one cannot omit auxiliary 'have' or 3sg -s.

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carson T. Schutze              Department of Linguistics, UCLA
Email: cschutze at ucla.edu       Box 951543, Los Angeles CA  90095-1543  U.S.A.

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