Project: Extraction and Austronesian-type voice systems  

Austronesian voice system languages are well-known for their “subject-only” restriction on A’-extraction. We show that topicalization in Bikol (Central Philippines) and its interactions with long-distance clefting supports a locality-based conception of the extraction restriction. Although local clefting is strictly subject-only, local topicalization can target subjects or non-subject agents. In contrast, long-distance clefting can target embedded subjects or embedded non-subject agents. We propose that in such cases, embedded topicalization feeds higher clefting. We consider and argue against alternative conceptions of the Austronesian “subject-only” extraction restriction.

Keywords: extraction asymmetries Austronesian Bikol Austronesian voice probing locality clefting topicalization syntactic ergativity syntax hidden