Identity with double ellipsis

On the view that ellipsis sites contain full – just unpronounced – syntactic structure, it follows that two ellipsis sites should be able to mutually license one another for identity. This paper supports the structural view of ellipsis by exploring this prediction in relation to a series of otherwise recalcitrant counterexamples. With ‘double ellipsis’, two ellipsis sites can satisfy identity for one another without formally relating to overt antecedent material. This analysis allows structural identity to be maintained in the face of apparent mismatches, including argument structure in sluicing, Dahl’s many clauses puzzle and elliptical answers to certain questions. It means that ellipsis sites must contain syntactic structure to evaluate for identity, and can do so even where no overt antecedent material is available.