Differential object marking in Western Malayo-Polynesian symmetrical voice languages

Differential object marking (DOM) is known from a great variety of language families. We present data suggesting that, contrary to what is suggested in recent typological surveys, DOM is also a widespread phenomenon in Austronesian symmetrical voice languages. To do this, we show why the identification of DOM constructions in these languages is difficult, propose a definition for DOM that takes note of the peculiarities of symmetrical voice systems, and briefly review three types of DOM systems attested in the area. Our findings have implications for claims regarding the universality of DOM, and quality control in compiling large-scale typological databases.