Modal signs and scope relations in TID

Abstract

In this paper, we test Bross and Hole's (2017) bodily-mapping hypothesis originally proposed for DGS. They found that operators with high scope (above T) are expressed using physically high articulators (mainly the eyebrows) and lower (IP-internal) categories are expressed manually in German Sign Language. In this way, scope is iconically mapped onto the signer's body (high scope = high articulator; low scope = low articulator). Additionally, they found that descending the scopal height of IP-internal categories, the higher ones (e. g., deontic modality) are concatenated from left to right and the lower ones (e. g., root modality) from right to left. Here, we put the bodily-mapping hypothesis to test by discussing the categories of epistemic (above T), deontic, and root modality (both below T) in Turkish Sign Language. Additionally, we investigate whether concatenation strategies for deontic and root modality differ. We show that, in Turkish Sign Language, epistemic modality, in contrast to deontic and root modality, requires nonmanual markings with the upper face, in line with the bodily-mapping hypothesis. Turkish Sign Language, however, differs from German Sign Language in that the former requires an additional manual modal sign for epistemic modality. We suggest two modeling possibilities to account for this finding: one assuming base-generation of the modals in their scope-taking position and one based on a movement account.

Prosody in Sign Languages

“…Those functions further down on the hierarchy are made on the hands, and in DGS this translates into at least three portions: ordering of the (modal) functions left-to-right (higher on the spine comes before lower on the spine), with subsequent switch to ordering right-to-left (higher on the spine comes after lower on the spine), and finally to modification of the sign movement itself for functions inside the VP (an example from ASL would be fast deceleration to a stop of telic verb movement; Malaia and Wilbur, 2012). Karabüklü et al (2018) report that TİD does not allow modals to precede the verb, so they are always to the right (after) the verb. This means that TİD must use other mechanisms to distinguish the functions that are shown in DGS by different scopal orderings.…”