Chapter 4

Constructing sentences

In this chapter, the modifications of meaning units are described. Patterns characterizing the various signs modifications along a continuum ranging from the semantic to the pragmatic dimension are illustrated. Signers modify and create linguistic relations among signs by using their hands as well as their entire bodies to point at, to describe or to depict the referent. Consequently, the construction of discourse and conversation in LIS are described, taking into consideration their articulatory, cognitive, and semantic-pragmatic constraints of a sociolinguistic nature.