Word Order in Russian Sign Language

Kimmelman, Vadim

doi:10.1353/sls.2012.0001

Cited by 36 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Emmorey 2003). This observation corresponds to the cross-linguistic pattern described in Padden (1988), Kegl (2004), Milković et al (2006), Hendriks (2008) and Kimmelman (2012), among others. Interestingly, the semantic feature of animacy seems to be an important factor too.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 84%

Argument Linearization in a Three-Dimensional Grammar: A Typological Perspective on Word Order in Polish Sign Language (PJM)

Rutkowski¹,

Łozińska²

2016

J. Univers. Lang.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of this paper is to analyze the underlying order of major sentential constituents (the verb and its arguments) in Polish Sign Language (polski język migowy, PJM). Although the issue of sign language sentence structure has been present in the literature for more than 30 years now, no satisfactory account thereof has yet been proposed in the case of PJM. Since visual-spatial communication is not fully linear, the importance (or even presence) of basic word order has gone unnoticed in most early February 15, 2016; Revised March 10, 2016; Accepted March 15, 2016 110 Argument Linearization in a Three-Dimensional Grammar : A Typological~ accounts of the linguistic properties of PJM. We analyze the issue of argument linearization on the basis of empirical material extracted from a corpus of PJM which is being compiled at the University of Warsaw, Poland. Although a thorough description has yet to be produced, our data show that PJM does have its own rules of ordering sentential constituents. We conclude that PJM should be classified as an SVO language.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 84%

Argument Linearization in a Three-Dimensional Grammar: A Typological Perspective on Word Order in Polish Sign Language (PJM)

Rutkowski¹,

Łozińska²

2016

J. Univers. Lang.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For the languages that favor SVO with plain verbs in reversible sentences, it would seem that NP 1 V NP 2 order is not ambiguous (interpreted only as SVO), whereas NP 1 NP 2 V order is open to the readings SOV and OSV (and see Fischer, 1975 ). In contrast, Kimmelman ( 2012 ) points out for Russian Sign Language, that, since OSV is marked, the cues that go with topicalization of the O should eliminate ambiguity in reversible sentences. The observation captured in generalization six remains, and we return to discussion of possible motivation in sections An Amodal Account and A Modal Account.…”

Section: Generalizations In the Datamentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Here we see a V sandwich from Russian Sign Language where the second instance of the V is accompanied by a non-manual adverbial morpheme (Kimmelman, 2012 , example 47):…”

Section: Generalizations In the Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Order of the major constituents in sign languages: implications for all language

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A survey of reports of sign order from 42 sign languages leads to a handful of generalizations. Two accounts emerge, one amodal and the other modal. We argue that universal pressures are at work with respect to some generalizations, but that pressure from the visual modality is at work with respect to others. Together, these pressures conspire to make all sign languages order their major constituents SOV or SVO. This study leads us to the conclusion that the order of S with regard to verb phrase (VP) may be driven by sensorimotor system concerns that feed universal grammar.

show abstract

“…Additional evidence that SOV and SVO word orders are overwhelmingly preferred comes from several other sources. First, Kimmelman (forthcoming) found that in a sample of 24 sign languages, 21 (88%) have SOV and/or SVO as the dominant sequencing pattern(s). Second, within the last 70 years, Al‐Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language (ABSL) has gradually arisen in an isolated community with a high incidence of genetically based prelingual deafness, and in the space of a single generation, it assumed a grammatical structure characterized by SOV order (Sandler et al.…”

Section: The Cross‐linguistic Prevalence Of Sov and Svo Word Ordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cross‐Linguistic Prevalence of SOV and SVO Word Orders Reflects the Sequential and Hierarchical Representation of Action in Broca’s Area

Kemmerer

2012

Language and Linguist. Compass

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of the language sciences, so far relatively little effort has been devoted to exploring potential connections between typology and neuroscience. To illustrate some of the insights that can be gained from pursuing such an integration, this paper focuses on one of the most well established and frequently cited typological generalizations, namely that in the vast majority of human languages, the basic word order is either SOV (about 48%) or SVO (about 41%). It has been suggested that these strong tendencies can be explained cognitively in terms of the prototypical transitive action scenario, in which an animate agent acts forcefully on an inanimate patient to induce a change of state. Two forms of iconicity are especially relevant: first, because the agent is at the head of the causal chain that affects the patient, subjects usually precede objects; and second, because it is the agent's action, rather than the agent per se, that changes the state of the patient, verbs and objects are usually adjacent. The purpose of this paper is to show that this account converges with, and hence receives further support from, recent research on how actions are represented in the brain. Specifically, several lines of evidence are reviewed which suggest that Broca's area plays a pivotal role in schematically representing the sequential and hierarchical organization of goal-directed bodily movements, not only when they are performed and perceived in the real world, but also when they are conceptualized and symbolically expressed as transitive clauses. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that the most cross-linguistically prevalent word order patterns reflect the most natural ways of linearizing and nesting the core conceptual components of actions in Broca's area.Language and Linguistics Compass 6/1 (2012):

show abstract

Word Order in Russian Sign Language

Cited by 36 publications

References 12 publications

Argument Linearization in a Three-Dimensional Grammar: A Typological Perspective on Word Order in Polish Sign Language (PJM)

Argument Linearization in a Three-Dimensional Grammar: A Typological Perspective on Word Order in Polish Sign Language (PJM)

Order of the major constituents in sign languages: implications for all language

The Cross‐Linguistic Prevalence of SOV and SVO Word Orders Reflects the Sequential and Hierarchical Representation of Action in Broca’s Area

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About