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2. 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: 5322; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
3. 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: 5802; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
4. 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: 4998; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |