Bridge Phenomena

The term “bridge” characterizes a matrix clauses in which extraction out of its complement or other subordinate clause is licensed. Examples include extraction out of that-complements of manner-of-speaking verbs, picture-noun phrases, and relative clauses. The properties of bridge phenomena are outlined showing that they are gradient- and context-dependent. These properties are shown to argue against a syntactic analysis of islandhood in general and bridge phenomena in particular. Instead an account in terms of information structure is proposed, arguing that only such an account can explain the gradient- and context-dependent data involved in bridge phenomena.