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Article published In:
Sign Language & Linguistics
Vol. 25:1 (2022) ► pp.58–91

On question words in Czech Sign Language

| Masaryk University | Charles University

This paper investigates content questions and the paradigm of question words in Czech Sign Language (český znakový jazyk – ČZJ). While this topic has been investigated for a fair number of other sign languages, a comprehensive study for ČZJ is still missing. Our aim is to fill this gap. In the absence of a representative corpus for ČZJ, we use data from the most extensive electronic dictionary database (Dictio), developed at the Masaryk University in Brno. We offer a basic description of the ČZJ interrogative strategies for content questions. In doing so, we also situate the language within the typology of sign language interrogatives: we classify ČZJ as a language with a rich paradigm of question words, and we identify the basic syntactic position of question words as sentence-final. Furthermore, we outline three morphological types of ČZJ question words: simple, complex, and derived.

Keywords: question words, Czech Sign Language, content questions, compounds, non-manuals
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Data and methodology
    • 2.1The Dictio platform
    • 2.2Sessions with the consultant
  • 3.Basic facts about content questions in ČZJ
    • 3.1Sentential position of question words
    • 3.2Question word paradigm
  • 4.Morphological types of ČZJ question words
    • 4.1Simple question words
    • 4.2Complex question words
    • 4.3Derived question words
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 10 May 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sll.21001.str
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