Extract to unravel: Left branch extraction in Romanian/Serbian code-switching

Bošković (2008; 2012) argues that languages with and without articles differ con- siderably with respect to the structure of the nominal domain (among other dif- ferences), leading to a distinction between DP (languages with articles) and NP (article-less) languages. Namely, DP languages are proposed to have a functional layer (DP) above the NP where articles are presumed to be positioned, while lack- ing definite articles indicates the absence of this functional layer in a language, allowing for bare NPs. This structural difference has semantic and syntactic conse- quences, one of which is the (im)possibility of left branch extraction (LBE) of ad- jectives and adjective-like elements out of the nominal domain. Specifically, while LBE is allowed in NP languages, is it disallowed in DP languages (Bošković 2008; 2012). While (dis)allowing LBE is fairly straightforward in languages in isolation, here, I extend this test to mixed DP/NP structures resulting from Romanian/Serbian code-switching (CS). Following the DP/NP language distinction, I consider Roma- nian to be a DP language, disallowing LBE, and Serbian an NP language, allowing LBE. Consequentially, I apply the LBE of adjectives from internal and external ar- guments of the verb, with switches at various points in the derivation. I show that LBE is reliable in determining the points where CS occurs, whether we are dealing with an NP or a DP projection, but also in showing that mixing two languages may not necessarily result in a uniform system. In other words, through LBE, the struc- tural flexibility resulting from different points of CS indicates that CS, like LBE, is highly contextual and sensitive to phases and phasal domains