The Syntax of American Sign Language Functional Categories and Hierarchical Structure

Author/creator Neidle, Carol Author
Format Electronic
Publication InfoCambridge : MIT Press
Description240 p. ill 22.500 x 014.900 cm.
Supplemental ContentFull text available from eBooks on EBSCOhost
Subjects

Other author/creatorKegl, Judy Author
Other author/creatorMacLaughlin, Dawn Author
Other author/creatorBahan, Benjamin Author
Other author/creatorLee, Robert G. Author
SeriesLanguage, Speech, and Communication Ser.
Summary Annotation Recent research on the syntax of signed languages has revealed that, apart from somemodality-specific differences, signed languages are organized according to the same underlyingprinciples as spoken languages. This book addresses the organization and distribution of functionalcategories in American Sign Language (ASL), focusing on tense, agreement, andwh-constructions.Signed languages provide illuminating evidence about functional projections of akind unavailable in the study of spoken languages. Along with manual signing, crucial information isexpressed by specific movements of the face and upper body. The authors argue that such nonmanualmarkings are often direct expressions of abstract syntactic features. The distribution and intensityof these markings provide information about the location of functional heads and the boundaries offunctional projections. The authors show how evidence from ASL is useful for evaluating a number ofrecent theoretical proposals on, among other things, the status of syntactic agreement projectionsand constraints on phrase structure and the directionality of movement.
Access restrictionAvailable only to authorized users.
Technical detailsMode of access: World Wide Web
Genre/formElectronic books.
ISBN9780262512213
ISBN0262512211 (Trade Paper) Active Record
Standard identifier# 9780262512213
Stock number0262512211 00015994

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