Project: Extraction and Austronesian-type voice systems  

Many Austronesian languages display a voice system. One argument of each clause (the "subject") is in a dedicated form and/or position, affecting the case-marking and/or word order of other arguments. We posit two parameters to explain case and word order properties of non-subject arguments: (i) accusative parameter: the language does/does not have structural accusative case; (ii) last-resort licensing parameter: DPs lacking Case-licensing are licensed under adjacency with the verb or by insertion of a case-marker (genitive). Toba Batak, Balinese, Nanwang Puyuma, and Katipul/Ulivelivek Puyuma exemplify the four language types predicted by these parameters.

Keywords: Austronesian voice Austronesian syntax case typology Toba Batak Puyuma Toba Batak Puyuma Balinese Tagalog Malagasy hidden