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Current issues in sign language linguistics Day 4

Current issues in sign language linguistics Day 4. LOT Summer School 2006 Universiteit van Amsterdam Josep Quer (ICREA & UB). Classifier constructions.

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Current issues in sign language linguistics Day 4

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  1. Current issues in sign language linguisticsDay 4 LOT Summer School 2006 Universiteit van Amsterdam Josep Quer (ICREA & UB)

  2. Classifier constructions • Rich and complex morphological system used in order to denote spatial relations and motion events and and to characterize shapes and dimensions of objects. • Often capitalize on iconicity. • Handshapes and movements. • Pervasive but somehow anomalous subsystem in SL grammars.

  3. Example

  4. Types of SL classifiers • Semantic (whole entity, class) classifiers: the handshape stands for the referent • Size and Shape Specifiers (SASS): the hands trace the outline of form of the entity • Bodypart classifiers: combination of SASS and body location • Handling classifiers: handshapes reflects how the entity id manipulated • Body classifiers: involve the whole body of the signer

  5. Example: Semantic CL

  6. Example: Semantic CL

  7. Example: SASS CL

  8. Example: Bodypart CL

  9. Example: Handling CL

  10. Classifier typology I • Numeral classifiers (categorize the referent in terms of animacy, shape etc.); e.g. Mal: ?en ?ui ?ooi phe? le? I have pot three CL:round.object‘I have three pots’ ?en ?ui khwan thiat phoonI have child four CL:person‘I have four children’ • Noun classifiers (categorize the noun with which they appear)

  11. Classifier Typology II • Verbal classifiers (1) Classificatory morphemes, e.g. Caddo: Kapi: kan-ca:ni’-ah coffee CL:liquid-buy-PERF ‘He bought (liquid) coffee’ Kapi: dan:-ca:ni’-ah coffee CL:powder-buy-PERF ‘He bought coffee powder’

  12. Classifier Typology III • Classificatory verb stems, e.g. Navaho: beeso si-?a ‘A coin is lying (there)’money PERF-lie(round entity) beeso si-nil‘Some money is lying (there)’money PERF-lie(collection) beeso si-ltsooz ‘A note/bill is lying (th)’money PERF-lie(flat flexible entity) • Noun classes/genders (grammatical agreement classes based on semantic characteristics such as animacy, sex, or humanness)

  13. SL Classifiers • Verbs of motion and location may include classifier morphemes (handshapes) • Classifiers incorporate meaning based on salient visual-tactile characteristics of the referent object • Novel forms vs. frozen forms

  14. Morphosyntactic Properties • SASS do not combine with verb roots, they are more adjective-like • CLASS classifiers classify (agentive or non-agentive) subjects in intransitive sentences • HANDLE classifiers classify direct objects in transitive sentences • How do these types relate to the classifier typology presented before?

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