Interrogative clause or fused relative?

Question

Hi,This is part of a video clip about tips on Christmas shopping.A: Procrastinators spend more.  That is a fact.  We overspend by 40% when we wait till the last minute.  Planning is the first tip.B: You got to have a plan.  You got to have a list.A: Yes.  Even with 48 hours left till Christmas Eve at this point.  You know, it takes 15 minutes to make a list.  And write down who you need to buy for, what the gifts that you have in mind are, and some backup ideas, because at this point the inventory could be slim.Write down who you need to buy for, what the gifts that you have in mind are.Q1) The underlined is an interrogative content clause, right?(since it can be paraphrased as follows)Write down the answers to the question "Who do you need to buy for?", "What are the gifts that you have in mind?"Q2) I notice that the noun phrase "the gifts that you have in mind" was separated into two parts, namely "the gifts" and  "that you have in mind" when the question was converted into an interrogative content clause. It's normally the case that they are kept intact.  For example,...what the gifts that you have in mind are...instead of...what the gifts are that you have in mind are...Is it because the relative clause is relatively long?Q3) Aside from the fact that the fused relative "who" is used in very limited situations, what is the reason why it can't be interpreted as a fused relative?  I mean, is it because the following sentences don't make much sense?Write down the people who...Write down the gifts that...In other words, does it make sense to say "write down the people, write down the gifts"?Q4) What if I change "the people" and "the gifts" to "the names of the people" and "the list of the gifts", respectively?  For example,Write down the names of the people who you want to buy for, the list of the gifts that you have in mind.Now, you have relative clauses instead of interrogative content clauses.  Is this Okay?  And do they convey the same meaning?I'd appreciate your help.  Thanks.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Write down who you need to buy for, what the gifts that you have in mind are.

Q1) The underlined is an interrogative content clause, right?(since it can be paraphrased as follows)

Write down the answers to the questions "Who do you need to buy for?", "What are the gifts that you have in mind?"

Yes. I concur with your analysis.

Q2) I notice that the noun phrase "the gifts that you have in mind" was separated into two parts (Separated by are? I don't see that. Am I missing something?), namely "the gifts" and "that you have in mind" when the question was converted into an interrogative content clause. It's normally the case that they are kept intact. For example,

...what the gifts that you have in mind are...

instead of

...what the gifts are that you have in mind are...

You wrote the original dialog thus:

And write down who you need to buy for, what the gifts that you have in mind are, and some backup ideas, ...

So I don't see anywhere where the word order what the gifts are that you have in mind occurs.

So I don't understand what you're asking. Did you mistranscribe the dialog? Or misread it?

Q3) Aside from the fact that the fused relative "who" is used in very limited situations, what is the reason why it can't be interpreted as a fused relative? I mean, is it because the following sentences don't make much sense?

Write down the people who...

Write down the gifts that...

In other words, does it make sense to say "write down the people, write down the gifts"?

Your reasoning makes sense to me; however, we can assign some meaning to "write down the people", "write down the gifts" if we are willing to take these sentences less than literally, and that is perhaps an argument in favor of saying that these clauses are ambiguous as to type.

You have undoubtedly heard of color blindness. Well, let me confess that with regard to the distinctions of interest to you in this thread, I am sometimes clause-type blind. That is, I often find it difficult to decide between fused relative constructions and interrogative content clauses. Many writers on the topic recognize that ambiguous cases exist, but I often wonder if I find more cases ambiguous than these distinguished writers would.

Q4) What if I change "the people" and "the gifts" to "the names of the people" and "the list of the gifts", respectively? For example,

Write down the names of the people who you want to buy for, the list of the gifts that you have in mind.

Now, you have relative clauses instead of interrogative content clauses. Is this Okay? And do they convey the same meaning?

I'm not sure how you want me to interpret, "Is this OK?" You won't be arrested by the grammar police for writing that sentence, if that's your concern.

They do convey the same meaning. They convey the very same meaning as your paraphrases "write down the people" and "write down the gifts" when interpreted charitably (non-literally).

CJ

Jooney · Answer

A2) I don't understand what you're asking. Did you mistranscribe the dialog? Or misread it?

I'm sorry. I misread it. I don't know what I was thinking.

A3) I often find it difficult to decide between fused relative constructions and interrogative content clauses.

I totally agree with you. I too find it very difficult to decide which interpretation is right in quite a lot of cases.

A4) I'm not sure how you want me to interpret, "Is this OK?"

I wanted to know if I paraphrased it correctly.

Thank you very much for your help, CJ

CalifJim · Answer

I too find it very difficult to decide which interpretation is right in quite a lot of cases.

Pullum proposes an "else-test" for interrogative content clauses.

See http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002690.html

Though he's one of the best in the field, I don't find his else-test method convincing, but it's worth a read. Maybe you will see something useful in it that I have missed.

CJ

Jooney · Answer

Thank you for the link, CJ.  I'll give it some thoughts.

Interrogative clause or fused relative?

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