Argument structure and the role of the body and space in Kenyan Sign Language
This paper investigates how systematically a young macro-community sign language, Kenyan Sign Language, uses two
different means to communicate about events: (i) word order, and (ii) verb agreement using spatial co-reference. The study finds
that KSL signers rely primarily on word order and using the body as a referent, rather than verb agreement, when representing
transitive events. Yet, by looking separately at how KSL signers use the sub-components of verb agreement, a pattern emerges that
indicates a possible path toward ‘canonical verb agreement’. These sub-components are evaluated using Meir’s stages/types of
grammaticalization of verb agreement (
Meir 2011,
2016), and compared with other young and emerging sign languages.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Background
- 2.1Sign language agreement
- 2.2Kenyan Sign Language
- 3.Research questions
- 4.Methods
- 5.Results
- 5.1Word order
- 5.1.1Simple transitives with one person, one object
- 5.1.2Simple transitives with two people
- 5.1.3Ditransitives with two people and one object
- 5.1.4Comparing word orders in different types of vignette
- 5.2Verb agreement and spatial co-reference
- 5.3KSL in Meir’s typology of verb agreement
- 5.4Clues to grammaticalization
- 6.Discussion
- 7.Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
-
References
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