A Grammar of German Sign Language (DGS)

Agreement verbs in DGS can be manually modified in order to show agreement with locations in the signing space. These locations in signing space are associated with the subject and/or (indirect) object. The path movement of the verb can then be adapted so that the beginning point coincides with the locus of the subject argument and the end point coincides with the locus of the object argument [Morphology 3.1.]. Agreement verbs in DGS express manual agreement by (i) a modification of the path movement of the verb sign only, or (ii) by a change just in the orientation of the hand or fingertips, or (iii) by changing both, movement and orientation of the sign. For example, the verb help marks agreement only by a change of path movement, as can be seen in the following example.

 

a. ₁help_3b         

 

                                                                 

 

 

 

b. _3bhelp₁

 

 

 

 

In contrast, the verb explain (similar to influence and inform) expresses manual agreement by a change in finger- and hand orientation. In these signs, the back of the hand is orientated towards the subject while the fingertips face the object.

 

a. ₁explain₂   

 

 

                                                     

        

 

b. ₂explain₁ 

 

 

 

 

The third way of realizing manual agreement is exemplified by the verb criticize that marks agreement by a modification of both the path movement and the hand orientation.

 

a. ₁criticize_3a

 

 

 

b. _3acriticize₁

 

 

 

Additionally, some agreement verbs can be modified by the use of classifier constructions [Morphology 5.]. The hand configuration of give can be modified according to the class of objects, for instance.

                       

a.  glass cl(/):‘₁give₂’     

 

   

 

 

 

b. flower cl(3): ‘₁give₂ 

 

 

 

Backwards verbs represent a subgroup of agreement verbs, because they mark agreement by a modification of path movement and/or finger- and hand orientation in a ‘reversed’ pattern. In contrast to regular agreement verbs, in backwards verbs the path movement of the verb starts at the locus associated with the object (the semantic source) and ends at the locus associated with the subject argument (the semantic goal).

 

a. _3apick_up₁

‘I pick-up this/that’

 

 

 

         

b. ix₁ t-i-m _3ainvite₁

‘I invite Tim.’

 

 

         

With regard to their argument structure, agreement verbs can be transitive verbs (visit, hate, help) and ditransitive verbs (give, borrow, explain, show). Intransitive verbs (sleep, think, swim) cannot be agreement verbs that show manual agreement via path movement. However, the usage of the intransitive verb die is undergoing grammatical changes and can now be articulated in different loci in signing space (die_3a versus die_3b). These forms of die indicate either different people dying or dying in different locations.