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Functionalist and Usage-based Approaches to the Study of Language: In honor of Joan L. Bybee
Edited by K. Aaron Smith and Dawn Nordquist
[Studies in Language Companion Series 192] 2018
► pp. 59–87

know and understand in ASL

A usage-based study of grammaticalized topic constructions

| University of Manitoba

Topic constructions in ASL are understood to be composed of information identifiable to the addressee that serves as the reference point from which to view the comment or comments immediately following it. This study compares the instances of use in a corpus of conversational ASL of KNOW and UNDERSTAND as lexical verbs and their grammaticalized form and function when they appear as topic markers, and with know as a discourse marker. Topic phrases introduced by know tend to have a wider domain as an identifiable reference point rather than a specific entity or event within the signer’s and addressee’s shared knowledge. Topic phrases introduced by understand tend to introduce an idea that the signer wishes to set as a reference point.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Grammaticalization in signed languages
  • 3.Topic marking and topic constructions in ASL
  • 4.Data
  • 5.Lexical know and know-topic constructions
    • 5.1 know tokens across the ASL conversational corpus
    • 5.2Lexical know
    • 5.3 know as a discourse marker
    • 5.4 know as a topic marker
    • 5.5Location variation in know tokens
  • 6.Lexical understand and understand-topic constructions
    • 6.1Lexical understand
    • 6.2 understand-topics
  • 7.The emergence of categories in ASL grammar
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Transcription key
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 1 March 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.192.03jan
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