Discourse and reference tracking effects on voice alternations in Northern Amis (Austronesian)
Abstract
Abstract Amis (an Austronesian language of Taiwan) has a symmetrical, multi-voice system. Selection of voice and argument structure are multifactorial, with lexical, syntactic and semantic constraints. This corpus analysis of Northern Amis also shows voice and alignment to be selected by the arguments’ referential properties both within and beyond the clause. In the latter case, they react to information management and topic tracking. Discourse factors thus interact with syntax and conspire to choose the definite nominative Patient as the Preferred Syntactic Argument (PSA) argument to be tracked across clauses and sentences. The discourse function of voice selection is infrequently researched in Formosan languages; new perspectives are presented in Northern Amis.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Syntax
Semantics
Linguistic Variation
Language
Discourse
Communication Strategies
Linguistic Studies and Language Acquisition
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Typological studies in language
- Volume
- 137
- Issue
- 137
- Pages
- 218–259
- Publication date
- 7 May 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter