Wh-Remnant Ellipsis

Level 5

Sluicing occurs when you omit the redundant part of an indirect question, leaving only the wh-word (the 'remnant'). It is extremely common in Danish to avoid repetition.

How It Works

Sluicing is a syntactic shortcut used to maintain discourse efficiency. In Danish, this pattern typically follows a matrix verb of cognition or communication like vide (know), sige (say), or forstå (understand).

Key features of Danish sluicing include:

  • The Correlate and Sprouting: The preceding sentence usually contains an indefinite correlate like nogen (someone) or noget (something). However, Danish also allows 'sprouting,' where the wh-word refers to an implicit argument not explicitly mentioned, such as Han læser, men jeg ved ikke hvad (He is reading, but I don't know what).
  • P-Omission: Because Danish allows preposition stranding in standard questions, it also permits 'P-omission' in sluicing. You can omit the preposition in the remnant entirely: Jeg talte med nogen, men jeg ved ikke hvem (instead of 'med hvem').
  • Direction vs. Location: Unlike English, Danish strictly distinguishes between static location (hvor) and motion/direction (hvorhen) in these remnants.
  • Agreement: If using hvilken/hvilket, the wh-word must match the gender of the noun it replaces.

Examples (5)

  1. Der er sket noget, men vi ved ikke helt hvad.

    Something has happened, but we don't quite know what.

    Word by Word: There is happened something, but we know not quite what.

    Here, 'hvad' (what) is the remnant. The rest of the clause 'der er sket' is elided because it is already understood.

  2. De er rejst på ferie, men de har ikke sagt hvorhen.

    They have gone on holiday, but they haven't said where [to].

    Word by Word: They are traveled on holiday, but they have not said where-to.

    Because the verb 'rejse' implies motion, the directional 'hvorhen' is used instead of the static 'hvor'.

  3. Han er vred over et eller andet, men jeg forstår ikke hvad.

    He is angry about something or other, but I don't understand what.

    Word by Word: He is angry over one or other, but I understand not what.

    The preposition 'over' is elided (P-omission) in the sluiced clause, which is very common in Danish.

  4. Jeg skal møde en ven, men jeg har glemt hvilken.

    I am going to meet a friend, but I have forgotten which one.

    Word by Word: I shall meet a friend, but I have forgotten which.

    The remnant 'hvilken' matches the common gender of 'en ven'.

  5. Han spiser, men jeg ved ikke hvad.

    He is eating, but I don't know what.

    Word by Word: He eats, but I know not what.

    This is an example of 'sprouting,' where the wh-word refers to an implicit argument (what he is eating) rather than an explicit word like 'noget'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'hvor' instead of 'hvorhen' for motion.

    Han løb væk, men jeg ved ikke hvor.
    Han løb væk, men jeg ved ikke hvorhen.

    In formal Danish and clear speech, you must use 'hvorhen' if the elided verb involves movement to a destination.

  • Placing the preposition after the wh-word (English 'swiping').

    Jeg ved ikke hvem med.
    Jeg ved ikke med hvem. / Jeg ved ikke hvem.

    Danish does not allow the preposition to follow the wh-word in a sluice. It must either come before it or be omitted entirely.

  • Gender mismatch with 'hvilken/hvilket'.

    Han købte et hus, men jeg ved ikke hvilken.
    Han købte et hus, men jeg ved ikke hvilket.

    The wh-word must agree with the gender of the correlate ('et hus' is neuter, so 'hvilket' is required).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Wh-Remnant EllipsisLevel 5

Learn This First

To understand sluicing (Wh-Remnant Ellipsis), you need to be comfortable with Danish question words and how they function in indirect questions. Since sluicing is a way to shorten a sentence by leaving only the question word, you must understand the full structure that is being omitted, as well as the conjunctions like 'men' (but) that often introduce these remnants.