LINGUIST List 15.2585

Fri Sep 17 2004

Diss: Syntax: Cormier: 'Grammaticization...'

Editor for this issue: Takako Matsui <takolinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. kearsy.cormier, Grammaticization of Indexic Signs: How American Sign Language Expresses Numerosity

Institution: University of Texas at Austin
Program: Department of Linguistics
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2002

Author: Kearsy A Cormier

Dissertation Title: Grammaticization of Indexic Signs: How American
Sign Language Expresses Numerosity

Linguistic Field: Syntax 

Subject Language: American Sign Language (code: ASE)

Dissertation Director 1: Richard P. Meier
Dissertation Director 2: Steve Wechsler

Dissertation Abstract:

Many researchers have noted that deixis in American Sign Language
(ASL) is largely indexic; deictic signs such as pronouns and agreeing
verbs "point to" locations associated with their referents. Number has
traditionally been considered to have little or no effect on
indexicality in signed languages. Thus, for purposes of simplicity,
discussions of deixis and agreement in ASL have long focused on
singulars. In this dissertation, I will show that reference to
multiple entities results in a loss of indexicality, which I propose
is due to the grammatical category number. This study focuses on
indexers (i.e., signs that serve to establish a referent or referents
at a location in space) and on agreeing verbs; both indexers and
agreeing verbs are considered highly indexic in their singular forms.
Researchers often note that agreeing verbs index the same location as
their coreferential pronouns, but very little has been mentioned in
the literature about how indexation applies to plural forms.

I present the results from two studies: one on plural pronouns and one
on plural verbs. The results from these studies have implications for
the field of sign linguistics in which the linguistic status of
indexic signs has recently been a highly controversial issue. The fact
that plurality affects indexicality suggests that the way that
pronouns and agreeing verbs use space must be at least partly
linguistic because it is affected by the grammatical category number.