"sluicing" 的定义和意义

What is "sluicing"?

Sluicing is a syntactic phenomenon where part of a clause is omitted, typically leaving behind a wh-word and a gap, often used to create a more concise question or to focus on a specific piece of information. This structure usually occurs after an initial clause that provides context. For example, in the sentence "I met someone, but I do not remember who," the clause "who" stands in for the omitted information about the person met. Sluicing is common in conversational language and helps to avoid redundancy while still conveying essential details. Understanding sluicing is important for recognizing how information can be efficiently communicated in both spoken and written language.