Tripl-ing Author(s): Arlene Berman Reviewed work(s): Source: Linguistic Inquiry, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Summer, 1973), pp.

401-403 Published by: The MIT Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4177779 . Accessed: 09/04/2012 01:50
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Squibsand Discussion

TRIPL-ING

ArleneBerman, University of Texas

I. Ross (I972) notes various constraints on sequences of V-ing in surface structure. In particular, sentences like the following are unacceptable: (i) a. *Joe is continuing studying Latin. b. *Joe's continuing studying Latin delights his mother. c. *Him continuing studying Latin! d. *Anyone continuing studying Latin must be mad. e. *Continuing studying Latin is a mistake.

Following Ross, one prerequisitefor bad doubl-ingsequences is that the -ing forms start out in adjacent clauses in remote structure (this prevents sentences like (2a,b) from being ruled out). His expecting breathing deeply to benefit us is hopelessly naive. (Ross' (45b)) b. His having getting into college to consider is a drag. (Ross' (47c)) However, as Ross pointed out, there are doubl-ing sequences that are acceptable, although the two -ing forms started out in adjacent clauses. Some examples of this are: (2) a. (3) a. Joe is considering studying Latin. b. Joe's enjoying studying Latin delights his mother. c. Him considering studying Latin! d. Anyone hating studying Latin must be mad. e. Regretting studying Latin is a mistake. Milsark (I972) argues convincingly that in sentences like (3), the second -ing form is a gerund and is dominated by NP. He suggests that we can state the restriction on doubl-ing as (4): (4) The sequence X + ing - Y + ing in surface structure is ungrammatical if Y is not dominated by NP. (Milsark's (i6))

402

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DISCUSSION

This formulation explains the grammaticality of (2) and (3) on the same basis, unlike Ross' solution, which assumed (2) and (3) to be grammatical for different reasons. Consider now the following, which most people find good: (5) a. Joe is considering continuing studying Latin. b. Joe's enjoying continuing studying Latin delights his mother. c. Him considering continuing studying Latin! d. Anyone hating continuing studying Latin must be mad. e. Regretting continuing studying Latin is a mistake. In each of the sentences of (5), we have three consecutive -ing forms. Following Milsark, we can account for the first
and second -ing's by claiming that the second -ing is a

gerund dominated by NP. But in the case of the second and third -ing's, no such explanation is possible-the second two -ing forms are identical to those in the ungrammatical sentences of (i). Apparently, in a tripl-ing sequence, if -ing, can be followed by an -ing form, -ing2can be followed
by an -ing form-even if the sequence -ing2
-

-ing3 is un-

grammatical alone! Note, moreover, that sentences like the following are bad: (6) a. *His expecting continuing studying Latin to benefit him is hopelessly naive. b. *His having continuing studying Latin to consider is a drag. If Milsark is correct in explaining the grammaticality of (2) and (3) in the same way, we might expect that whatever allows (5) would also allow (6). It does not. Thus we are left with (at least) two questions: (a) What in the world does allow (5) to get by? and (b) should (2) and (3) be explained in the same way?
2. At a lecture on transcendental meditation the following question was asked: (7) What are the benefits that accrue from continuing practicing transcendental meditation?

Sentence (7) seems good to me and others, and, in general, doubl-ing sequences inside prepositional phrases are better than expected: (8) a. b. He was vehement about continuing practicing transcendental meditation. He talked me into continuing practicing transcendental meditation.

SQUIBS

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DISCUSSION

c.

The idea of beginning studying fencing appealed to Joe.

Compare these with (i e). Apparently, the fact that the doubl-ing sequences in (8) are noun phrases is not sufficient to explain their relative acceptability. fn. i6) sentences like (9) which (I972, are good, apparently because the -ing form is a noun.

3. Ross mentions

(g) I'm going fishing.

What sorts of -ing nouns occur in sentences like (9) ? We find examples like (ioa-d) and (i ia-d): (io) a. b. c. d. ( I) a. b. c. d. I'm going camping. I'm going shopping. I'm going visiting. I'm going traveling. *I'm going eating. ?I'm going dining. *I'm going working. *I'm going smoking. (cf. I'm going drinking.)

The following pair was noted by Andy Rogers: a. He's going wenching. b. *He's going screwing. There is no readily available generalization about which forms are good after going, and which bad. Despite this, there appears to be very little idiolect variation about which forms people find acceptable. What is it that we act as if we know' when we make these judgments?
(12)

References

Milsark,G.

(1972)

"Re: Doubl-ing,"LinguisticInquiryiII,
Inquiry iII, 6i-86. "Doubl-ing," Linguistic

542-549Ross, J. R. (I972)

INFINITIVES PREPOSED RELATIVE IN RUSSIAN CLAUSES

In general, relative clauses in Russian have the same structure as they do in English: they follow the noun that they modify and begin either with the relative pronoun or

MichaelH. Bierman, HarvardUniversity

with a preposition which governs it (cf. (I)). In certain marginal cases, however, Russian relative clauses can begin with an infinitive preposed out of the modifying sentence.

IThis
Keyser.

formulation of the content of linguistics is due to S. Jay