Squibs
A new classifier-based plural morpheme in German Sign Language (DGS)
German Sign Language (DGS) displays variation in the simple plural, the form of which is conditioned by classes of phonological
features within the lexicon. As a consequence, the overt realization of the plural marker is restricted to a small set of nouns
specified for the appropriate phonological features, while the rest are left bare (
Pfau &
Steinbach 2005,
2006;
Steinbach
2012).
Pfau & Steinbach (2005) report a number of ‘alternative
pluralization strategies’ available as repairs for this underspecification, including classifier constructions, spatial
localization, and number and quantifier phrases. I propose a previously undescribed mechanism for plural marking, the
‘classifier-based plural morpheme’ (CLP), grammaticalized from the classifier system into a morpheme in the grammars of individual
DGS signers. Elicitation data show that this morpheme attaches only to nouns which are specified for phonological features that
restrict the realization of the canonical plural marker, adding a new option to the range of pluralization strategies
available.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The canonical plural in DGS
- 3.Classifiers as alternative strategies for expressing plurality
- 4.New proposal: New classifier-based plural morpheme (clp)
- 5.Evidence for the classifier-based morpheme
- 6.Discussion and conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
-
References
References (10)
References
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Cited by (3)
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2023.
The Morpho-phonology of Nominal Plurality in Argentinian Sign Language (LSA). In
Formal Approaches to Languages of South America,
► pp. 25 ff.

van Boven, Cindy
2021.
Phonological restrictions on nominal pluralization in Sign Language of the Netherlands: evidence from corpus and elicited data.
Folia Linguistica 55:2
► pp. 313 ff.

van Boven, Cindy
2021.
Phonological restrictions on nominal pluralization in Sign Language of the Netherlands: evidence from corpus and elicited data.
Folia Linguistica 55:2
► pp. 313 ff.

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