Non-extraposed Subject Clauses

Non-extraposed and extraposed subject clauses display significantly different distributional properties. Some of the structural subtypes favour the initial position while others are almost exclusively extraposed. The paper examines to what extent the position of the subject clause is predetermined by its structural and semantic properties, and to what extent it depends on other factors, such as FSP. _____________________________________________________________________ When determining the syntactic role of an extraposed clause in sentences starting in the pronoun it, the test of moving the clause into the initial position is often employed to prove or disprove its status as the notional subject of the sentence. It is assumed that if the clause can replace the initial pronoun without a change of meaning, it functions as the notional subject of the sentence, while the pronoun is an anticipatory element, filling in the obligatory slot of the subject in the initial position and pointing forward to the true subject. Although undoubtedly valid, the test may create a false impression of the actual relationship between subject clause extraposition and non-extraposition, perceiving the transition between the two as a strictly mechanical operation