Review article: Putting some of the syntax back into semantics

Relational Grammar and American Sign Language

“…The signer chooses a point in this space to assign to each definite NP. Constraints on those assignments are discussed in detail in Lacy (1974). Several researchers (Friedman 1975;Kegl & Chinchor 1975;Lacy 1974;Mandel 1976) have attempted to characterize a systematic method of indexing.…”

“…Constraints on those assignments are discussed in detail in Lacy (1974). Several researchers (Friedman 1975;Kegl & Chinchor 1975;Lacy 1974;Mandel 1976) have attempted to characterize a systematic method of indexing. For example, first person is indicated by pointing to the signer's body, 2nd person towards the addressee, 3rd person 1 to the right and near the signer's body, 3rd person 2 left and near the body, 3rd person 3 right and more forward, 3rd person 4 left and more forward and so on in this alternating fashion.…”

“…Past descriptions (Friedman 1975(Friedman , 1976Lacy 1974) have been overly simplified. In general, researchers have described the establishment of an index as signing the NP and then pointing to a particular location in the signing space.…”

Review article: Pronominalization in American Sign Language

“…(Friedman 1976: 129) A further extension of this notion of markers will be discussed later. Lacy (1974) basically extends Friedman's analysis. He takes the notion of indexing NPs to points in space and outlines four major conditions on this process: the Indefinite Number Condition (INC), the Minimal Content Condition (MCC), the Coreferential Constancy Condition (CCC), and the Simplified Antecedent Search Condition (SASC).…”

“…This indexing is crucial to the analysis of pronouns, but contrary to previous claims, I would not like to assume this process to be "pronominalization." Let me outline Friedman's (1975) and Lacy's (1974) characterizations of the pronominal system. Following this discussion, I will then take some of the same, as well as additional, data to support my claim that labeling this grammatical phenomenon as "pronominalization" is a misnomer and in effect this entire process can more convincingly and systematically be described as agreement between NPs and pronominal clitics on the verb.…”