Hong Kong Sign Language numerals
Interaction of syntactic processes and the movement-parameter
Syntactic processes trigger changes in the movement-parameter of Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) numeral signs. Though HKSL cardinal numerals by default do not contain movement and are produced in neutral space, under specific circumstances, the movement-parameter can be altered from [∅] to specifications for both path- and hand-internal movement. This creates four types of numerals: (1) event numerals, (2) transfer numerals, (3) conjunction numerals, and (4) list numerals. I analyze the syntactic structures of these four numerals as follows: Firstly, event numerals quantify the number of times an event denoted by V has occurred and in syntax the numeral is located in a FreqP in Spec,VP. Secondly, transfer numerals show transfer of ownership and are within the DP complement of V0. Thirdly, the conjunction numeral indicates that all items of a set are included and the numeral is located within ConjP. Finally, the list numeral is the head of a NumeP with a [list]-feature within DP.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 1.1Hong Kong Sign Language
- 1.2HKSL numerals
- 1.3Syntax of numerals
- 1.4Hypothesis
- 1.5Contents of this paper
- 2.Methodology
- 3.Event numerals
- 3.1Event numeral interpretation
- 3.2Quantification of verbal events
- 3.3FreqP in Spec,VP
- 4.Transfer numerals
- 4.1Transfer numeral interpretation
- 4.2Spatial agreement
- 4.3Complement to V0
- 5.Conjunction numerals
- 5.1Conjunction numeral interpretation
- 5.2Inside ConjP
- 6.List numerals
- 6.1List numeral interpretation
- 6.2[list]-feature on Nume0
- 7.Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Note
-
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Thierfelder, Philip, Gladys Tang & Jia Li
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Deafness & Education International 26:1
► pp. 6 ff.
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