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Linguistic Foundations of Narration in Spoken and Sign Languages
Edited by Annika Hübl and Markus Steinbach
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 247] 2018
► pp. 275–308

Between narrator and protagonist in fables of German Sign Language

| University of Hamburg
| University of Göttingen

Sign languages have the unique property of simultaneously transmitting information in various ways. Within perspective taking and role shift, a signer may use various articulators such as the hands, the body, and the face to simultaneously represent different protagonists and/or the narrator. This paper discusses data from German Sign Language (DGS) with regard to parallel perspectivation in role shift, in particular action role shift found in the DGS data set of the Aesop fables. We categorize the different types of parallel perspectivation and investigate classifiers within action role shift as a phenomenon at the gesture-sign interface.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Role shift in sign languages
    • 2.1Terminology
    • 2.2Quotation role shift
    • 2.3Action role shift
  • 3.Parallel perspectivation within action role shift in fables of German Sign Language
    • 3.1State of the art
      • 3.1.1Upper body parts as linguistic devices for simultaneous perspectivations
      • 3.1.2Classifiers
    • 3.2Methodology and data
    • 3.3Types of parallel perspectivation
    • 3.4Simultaneously layered additions by the narrator within action role shift
  • 4.A unified account for role shift
    • 4.1Action role shift at the gesture-grammar interface
    • 4.2Integrating A-RS in an agreement analysis
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 25 May 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.247.12her
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