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2. The non-dominant hand perseveration and movement in SZJ locative constructionsMatic Pavlič, 2018, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: In sign languages, signers habitually encode the relations between locative arguments with a complex predicate consisting of several independent morphemes, as shown by Pfau and Aboh (2012) for Sign Language of the Netherlands. In this study, I examine perseverations and movements of the non-dominant hand (H2) in Slovenian Sign Language (SZJ) locative constructions. In SZJ, the H2may be persevered after producing the two-handed Ground in locative constructions. This is shown by the data collected from seven first language SZJ informants, using a Picture Description Task. The referential location as well as the orientation and the handshape of this perseveration may change at the sign-boundary when the one-handed Figure has just been articulated and the one-handed predicate is about to be signed. Before this sign-boundary, the handshape of the persevered H2 refers to the Ground – and is therefore a Ground classifier. After that boundary, the handshape of the persevered H2 refers to the part of the Ground that is relevant for localizing the Figure – and is therefore an axial part classifier that projects aMeasure Phrase. Keywords: locative construction, non-dominant hand perseveration, measure phrase, Slovenian Sign Language Published in RUNG: 20.03.2018; Views: 4811; Downloads: 175 Full text (1,37 MB) |
3. Classifier predicate as a small clause in Slovenian Sign LanguageMatic Pavlič, 2017, published scientific conference contribution abstract Abstract: In Slovenian Sign Language (SZJ), classifier predicate cannot be negated and thus it does not qualify as the head of a verb phrase. Such a conclusion does not rule out the possibility that SZJ classifier predicate projects a reduced clausal structure. I analyze these SZJ classifier predicates as non-verbal predicates that form a small-clause structure assuming that classifier small clause is selected by an overt (HAVE) or a covert verbal head. This proposal explains the complexity of classifier predicates. Being a non-verbal projection, classifier predicate fails to move with a verbal V-to-T movement and stays in situ. For SVO languages such as SZJ, this analysis correctly predicts the change from the basic SVO to the non-basic SOV for transitive classifier predicates and from the basic SVOdOi to the non-basic SOdVOi for ditransitive classifier predicates. Keywords: Slovenian Sign Language, classifier predicate, small clause, word order Published in RUNG: 10.11.2017; Views: 5320; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
4. The dominant and non-dominant hand movement in Slovenian Sign Language locative constructionsMatic Pavlič, 2017, published scientific conference contribution abstract Abstract: In sign languages, signers habitually encode the relations between locative arguments with a complex predicate consisting of several independent morphemes, as shown by Pfau and Aboh (2012) for Sign Language of the Netherlands. In this study, I discuss the direction and composition of locative movement in Slovenian Sign Language (SZJ), distinguishing it from the movement of non-locative predicates in this language. This distinction gives support to the original distinction between agreeing and spatially agreeing predicates that was first suggested for American Sign Language (ASL) by Padden (1983). Keywords: Slovenian Sign Language, locative construction, prepositional phrase, hand movement, non-dominant hand perseveration Published in RUNG: 07.11.2017; Views: 4907; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
5. The parameters that set word order in Slovenian Sign LanguageMatic Pavlič, 2015, published scientific conference contribution abstract Abstract: The field of word order (WO) research in oral languages was opened with Greenberg (1963), who discovered that possible WOs are not evenly distributed in his sample of 30 languages. Linguists have ever since struggled to find out how do prevalent WOs emerge in the human brain (for the overview see Kemmerer 2012), how they are derived (for the overview see Dryer and Haspelmath 2013) and acquired (for the overview see Franck et al. 2013). According to Generative Grammar, basic WO is an output of the Head parameter (Chomsky 1981) and the Binarity principle (Kayne 1984). It reflects most transparently in the pragmatically unmarked surface order of subject, object and verb. The research on WO in sign languages (for the overview see Leeson and Saeed 2012) focused on exceptions, that may be triggered by modality specific factors: spacial verb-argument agreement, semantic
reversibility and iconicity. In this paper I provide the first description of Slovenian Sign Language (SZJ) arguing that its basic WO is SVO. I examine overt agreement and semantic reversibility and conclude, that these phenomena do not affect WO in SZJ. In the second part, I discuss non-basic SZJ WO that appears in role-shifting and classffer constructions due to the presence of verb-incorporated object classffers. All examples are from SZJ, elicited from L1 SZJ signers by Picture Description Task (see Volterra et al. 1984). Keywords: Word order, Slovenian Sign Language, classifier predicate Published in RUNG: 07.11.2017; Views: 5792; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
6. Sharing space is Slovenian Sign Language (SZJ)Matic Pavlič, 2015, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: In this paper my aim is to introduce Slovenian Sign Language (henceforth SZJ), provide evidence for the sublexical structure of SZJ signs and classify SZJ verbs with regard to their place of articulation. Using Picture Description Task methodology (Volterra et al. 1984) I interviewed seven SZJ native deaf signers and defined two main verb classes: those that are signed on the body and those that are not. According to the tradition of sign languages research (Padden 1983 for American Sign Language) they can be termed as body-anchored, non-agreeing or plain verbs and space-anchored or agreeing verbs, respectively. SZJ body-anchored verbs cannot adjust their place of articulation to the place of articulation of their arguments while SZJ space-anchored verbs move between two distinct loci in signing space adjusting the starting and the ending point of this movement to places where two of their arguments are articulated. I analyze this process as an overt verb-argument agreement and justify SZJ space-anchored verbs as agreeing verbs. I also consider non-manual agreement markings such as eye-gaze, head- and body-lean and show that these markings accompany space-anchored verbs more often than body-anchored verbs. Furthermore, I distinguish a subclass of SZJ verbs that are signed in one locus in space (usually on the non-dominant hand). I examine whether such verbs express agreement overtly or not. I conclude that they do because it shares the very same place of articulation with all of its arguments that are not body-anchored signs. Keywords: agreement, Slovenian Sign Language, plain and agreeing verbs Published in RUNG: 06.11.2017; Views: 5937; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
7. Sign order in Slovenian Sign Language locative constructionsMatic Pavlič, 2016, original scientific article Abstract: In both sign and spoken languages, locative relations tend to be encoded within constructions that display the non-basic word/sign order. In addition, in such an environment, sign languages habitually use a distinct predicate type – a classifier predicate – which may independently affect the order of constituents in the sentence. In this paper, I present Slovenian Sign Language (SZJ) locative constructions, in which (i) the argument that enables spatial anchoring (“ground”) precedes both the argument that requires spatial anchoring (“figure”) and the predicate. At the same time, (ii) the relative order of the figure with respect to the predicate depends on the type of predicate employed: a non-classifier predicate precedes the figure, while a classifier predicate only comes after the figure. Keywords: locative construction, locative adposition, figure and ground, classifier predicate, Slovenian Sign Language Published in RUNG: 06.11.2017; Views: 4988; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |