rightnode

Rightnode, in linguistic terminology often referred to as right node raising (RNR), is a syntactic phenomenon in which material located at the right edge of a sentence serves as the shared tail of two coordinated constituents. In sentences exhibiting RNR, the same material is interpreted as belonging to both conjuncts, even if it is not repeated in full within each conjunct on the surface.

Typical characteristics

- The rightmost phrase or clause is interpreted as common to multiple preceding conjuncts.

- The shared material may appear as a single right node at the sentence end, with the preceding conjuncts contributing independently to the rest of the structure.

- RNR is frequently discussed in the context of coordinate structures, ellipsis, and information-structure (theme-comment) considerations.

Illustrative idea

- A schematic example can be shown as two coordinated clauses sharing a right node: John bought [a book] and Mary did [a book] as well. In surface form, the second conjunct may be elided or compacted, while the right node [a book] remains linked to both clauses for interpretation. In practice, the exact surface realization can vary across languages and constructions.

Theoretical approaches

- Syntactic sharing analyses treat the right node as structurally linked to each conjunct, often invoking movement or remnant elements.

- Ellipsis or sluicing analyses explain RNR as a case where the right node is present in one conjunct and recoverable in others by ellipsis, coordination, or parallelism.

- Some accounts emphasize information structure, suggesting the right node carries the focus or given/new information that is shared by the conjuncts.

Cross-linguistic occurrence

- RNR has been observed in English and many other languages, though its acceptability, preferred configurations, and interpretation can vary by language.

History and scope

- The phenomenon has been discussed since the late 20th century within generative and functional approaches to syntax, with ongoing debate about the most faithful analysis and its implications for coordination and ellipsis.