For some reason my comments don't show up at Polyglot Conspracy nowadays ...
I wanted to say this: People frequently *speak* this way, eliding repeated subjects. But then, they also elide repeated verbs (I read Moby Dick and John Last of the Mohicans).
I think this is very informal, but not quite "null subject"
true. it's not a fully grammatical construction. and it's obviously used to influence tone because of that. also journal style: woke up. brushed my teeth. had some coffee...
and other than register, i don't think the employment of that tone is any more likely in different dialects.
There is some pro-drop in questions: "____ think X?" "____ want to Y?" "____ see the Z over there?"
but those are also less formal. imperatives are still the only pro-drop structures i can think of that don't change the tone. then again imperatives are almost always 'conversational'.
For some reason my comments don't show up at Polyglot Conspracy nowadays ...
ReplyDeleteI wanted to say this: People frequently *speak* this way, eliding repeated subjects. But then, they also elide repeated verbs (I read Moby Dick and John Last of the Mohicans).
I think this is very informal, but not quite "null subject"
true. it's not a fully grammatical construction. and it's obviously used to influence tone because of that. also journal style: woke up. brushed my teeth. had some coffee...
ReplyDeleteand other than register, i don't think the employment of that tone is any more likely in different dialects.
There is some pro-drop in questions:
"____ think X?"
"____ want to Y?"
"____ see the Z over there?"
but those are also less formal. imperatives are still the only pro-drop structures i can think of that don't change the tone. then again imperatives are almost always 'conversational'.