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351 Pages·2011·2.23 MB·English

222804
Michele Brunelli M Michele Brunelli
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Antisymmetry and e Antisymmetry and
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Sign Languages B Sign Languages
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A Comparison between NGT and LIS A Comparison between NGT and LIS
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This comparative study on the Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT) and
Italian Sign Language (LIS) addresses and discusses a wide range of aspects
regarding grammar – the position of the adjectives, numerals and demonstra-
tives, the linear ordering of selected aspectual markers and modals, topicali-
zation, negation, imperative and interrogative clauses, as well as conditional
clauses and LIS relative clauses. The study shows that LIS and NGT display a
considerable degree of cross-and intra-linguistic variation and tries to assess
whether the observed differences can be derived from one universal specifier-
head-complement deep structure, shared by all sign and spoken languages.
Although further aspects of LIS and NGT must still be examined, the study A
shows that an antisymmetric analysis of these sign languages is certainly n
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ISBN 978-94-6093-067-6
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Published by
LOT phone: [phone]
Trans 10
3512 JK Utrecht e-mail: [email protected]
The Netherlands http://www.lotschool.nl

Cover illustration: Deep into deep structure

ISBN: 978-94-6093-067-6
NUR 616

Copyright © 2011: Michele Brunelli. All rights reserved.
Antisymmetry and Sign
Languages:
A Comparison between NGT
and LIS
ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT
ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor
aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam
op gezag van de Rector Magnificus
prof. dr. D.C. van den Boom
ten overstaan van een door het college voor promoties
ingestelde commissie,
in het openbaar te verdedigen in de Agnietenkapel
op woensdag 28 september 2011, te 14:00 uur

door

Michele Brunelli

geboren te Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza, Italië
Promotiecommissie

Promotor: Prof. dr. A.E. Baker

Co-promotores: Dr. R. Pfau
Prof. dr. G. Cinque

Overige leden: Dr. E.O. Aboh
Prof. dr. C. Rathmann
Dr. A.P. Sleeman
Prof. dr. M. Steinbach
Prof. dr. F. Weerman
Dr. I. Zwitserlood

Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen
Antisymmetry and Sign Languages:
A comparison between NGT and LIS

Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations for names of languages

Chapter 1: Introduction................................................... 9

1.1 Sign language features……………………………………… 10
1.1.1 Sign order……………………………………………… 13
1.1.2 Nonmanual marking…………………………………… 16
1.1.3 Sign space……………………………………………… 19
1.2 Theoretical framework……………………………………… 24
1.2.1 X-bar theory and its extension…………………………. 24
1.2.2 Split-CP………………………………………………… 27
1.2.3 Antisymmetry………………………………………….. 28
1.2.4 Pied-piping…………………………………………....... 34
1.3 Methodology………………………………………...….....… 38
1.4 Aims and contents of this book……………………………… 42

Chapter 2: The structure of DP........................................ 45

2.1 Word order within the DP…………………………………… 46
2.1.1 Introduction…………………………………………….. 47
2.1.2 Quantifiers, possessives and “higher adjectives”……….. 52
2.1.3 Demonstratives and locatives…………………………… 56
2.1.4 Numerals and adjectives………………………………… 59
2.1.5 Combinations of DP-related elements………………….. 62
2.1.6 Summary………………………………………………… 67
2.2 Analysis………………………………………………………. 69
2.2.1 Introduction……………………………………...………. 69
2.2.2 Structure of DP/QP: deriving the position of determiners,
quantifiers, numerals, adjectives……………………… 71
2.2.3 Deriving the position of possessives and (location-
assigning) NIXes………………………………………… 83
2.3 Conclusions………………………………………………….. 87
Chapter 3: The structure of the simple sentence: aspect,
modals and negation......................................... 93

3.1 The word order within the simple sentences………………….. 94
3.1.1 Word order in plain declarative sentences……………….. 95
3.1.2 Aspect……………………………………………………. 101
3.1.3 Modals……………………………………………………. 106
3.1.4 Negation and negative modals…………………………… 111
3.1.5 Summary…………………………………………………. 118
3.2 Analysis……………………………………………………...... 120
3.2.1 Introduction………………………………………………. 120
3.2.2 Structure of IP: position of aspectual and modal projections 121
3.2.3 The behaviour of negation……………………………….. 133
3.2.2 The behaviour of negative modals……………………….. 140
3.3 Conclusions……………………………………………………. 150
Chapter 4: The structure of the Left Periphery –
Sentence types and topicalization.................. 156

4.1 Word order with respect to sentence types and topicalization… 157
4.1.1 Imperatives……………………………………………….. 157
4.1.2 Yes/No questions………………………………………… 159
4.1.3 Wh questions……………………………………………… 161
4.1.4 Other interrogative clauses: alternative (content) questions 169
4.1.5 Topicalization…………………………………………….. 170
4.1.6 Summary…………………………………………………. 174
4.2 Analysis………………………………………………………... 175
4.2.1 Introduction………………………………………………. 175
4.2.2 Structure and movement in topicalization and imperatives 177
4.2.3 Structure and movement in wh questions………………... 181
4.2.4 Structure and movement in yes/no questions…………….. 207
4.2.5 Structure and movement of topicalization with respect to
nonmanual marking of interrogative clauses…………….. 214
4.3 Conclusions…………………………………………………..... 221
Chapter 5: The structure of the Left Periphery –
Combinations of clauses................................... 226

5.1 Word order with respect to combinations of clauses ………….. 226
5.1.1 Introduction……………………………………………….. 227
5.1.2 Conditionals………………………………………………. 227
5.1.3 Restrictive relative clauses……………………………….. 233
5.1.4 Summary………………………………………………….. 243
5.2 Analysis………………………………………………………... 247
5.2.1 Introduction……………………………………………..... 247
5.2.2 Structure and movement of conditional clauses………….. 249
5.2.3 Structure and movement of restrictive relative clauses…... 260
5.3 Conclusions

Chapter 6: Conclusions and avenues for future research... 290

6.1 Crosslinguistic variation within DP, CP, and IP……………….. 291
6.2 Applicability of antisymmetry………………………………….. 296
6.3 Motivating the projections……………………………………… 303
6.4 Some counterarguments to antisymmetry……………………… 306
6.5 General conclusions……………………………………………. 313

Summary…………………………………………………….. 315
Samenvatting…...……………………………………………. 319
Riassunto………………………….…………………………. 323
References…………………………………………………… 327
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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to my promotors
Anne Baker and Guglielmo Cinque and my co-promotor Roland Pfau.
Their broad knowledge and their logical way of thinking have been of
great value for me. Their understanding, encouraging and personal
guidance have provided a good basis for the present thesis. I am deeply
grateful to them for their detailed and constructive comments, and for
their important support throughout this work.
I wish to express my warm and sincere thanks to the students and the
staff at the ACLC of the UvA for their kind support and guidance during
my hours spent in the library and in the department. I particularly want to
thank Joni Oyserman and Marijke Scheffener for their patience.
Thanks also to the staff at the Universita' Ca' Foscari and LIS signers
who participated with great enthusiasm in the elicitation sessions: in
particular Mirko Santoro, Fabio Poletti and Carmela Bertone.
I also want to thank God, who gave me the strength I needed to write this
dissertation. Finally, I thank my parents, my brother, my sister and my
wife for their moral support, and I also thank my little daughter Elianora
for being joyful since the day she was born.