John,
I find this sort of "mistake" often when I consult with students on their writing.  Because in a consultation I can ask the questions you have asked and receive the writer's answer, I speak from the common responses I have heard.  Upon having the student tell me aloud what he/she meant, typically it is the filter not keeping up; thus, key words are left out (your first explanation).  However, also typical is the evidence of the mind already revising the thought to emphsize the "agency," the doctors.  The student who is less aware of audience and thereby less able to re-read from an audience viewpoint will assert the last explanation--that "in my mind it was clear what I was saying as I read it."  Of course, this leaves you with three explanations still, yet all three are valid.  For me it reasserts the value of having one-on-one consultations with students about their writing.
Thanks for posing the question! I too will be interested in responses from others.
EJB

________________________________

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar on behalf of John Dews-Alexander
Sent: Thu 07/24/2008 02:01
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Meaningful Mistake?


I want to throw a sentence to the members of this listserv and see what comes back! 
 
When I teach composition or linguistics, I like to stress the relevance of analyzing "mistakes" (clear deviations from Standard Written English and/or outright ungrammatical utterances) in order to find the meaning behind them. In nearly all instances of speech or writing, we are attempting to convey meaning. When something comes out wrong, there is still a meaningful force behind it, and, sometimes, we can puzzle out what meanings were trying to break through. If we can figure out what we were trying to say, it is a lot easier to try again!
 
I recently ran across an utterance that piqued my nerdy interest. Here it is:
 
"They can help you a lot. There's not a sleeping disorder out there that they can't vastly improve the quality of your life."
 
The speaker is participating in a documentary about sleeping disorders. He is a narcoleptic, and English is his first language. When he says "they," he is referring to sleep specialists and other such medical professionals. 
 
Do you think that this is just a mistake that happens in live speech because his "filter" couldn't keep up with his rate of speech? Or is there meaning here that can be analyzed by those interested in such things? Would it be going too far to suggest that he may be "forcing" agency front and center in the clause "that they can't vastly improve the quality of your life"? Did he realize half way through that he wanted the emphasis to be on the doctors, not the disorder? Is there an ellipsed "by treating" or some other extension at the end of the sentence that he thinks is understood?
 
I'd love to hear any comments on what happened here. Thanks!
 
John Alexander
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