A Grammar of German Sign Language (DGS)

Personal pronouns stand for a noun or a noun phrase [Syntax 4] referring to people or things. These types of pronouns can refer to present or non-present referents via pointing to the spatial locations previously associated with these referents. In DGS, personal pronouns are usually articulated with H -handshape [Lexicon 1.2.2.], but they can also be expressed by non-manuals such as eye-gaze or head tilt.

 

First person pronoun signs are oriented and pointing towards the body of the signer and are produced by a single contact to the chest. Second person pronouns are directed to the addressee or to the location associated with the addressee. They are typically accompanied with an eye gaze towards the addressee. Third person pronouns are directed towards a certain locus in signing space, which is associated with a referent. They are produced with a single or with multiple movements towards the locus and an optional sideward movement of the head in the direction of the locus.

 

            ix₁ (‘I’)           ix₂ (‘you’)                 ix_3a     (‘she/he/it’)    ix_3b (‘she/he/it’)

           (based on Papaspyrou et al., 2008: 137)

 

 

 

Singular pronouns can as well be articulated in a lower signing space or only with non-manuals. These are pragmatically governed cases and include the contexts, where the referents of these pronouns are not wanted to be expressed overtly/directly by the signers (for instance when gossiping about a person who is present).

 

  eg-right  

            ht-right 

a.         ix_3a    

    

 

b.         ix_3a  (Hidden by palm)

                                      re

            h1:       palm_up

            h2:       ix_3a

 

 

 

c.         eg-right                 (ix_3a  only nonmanual marking)

            tongue-right

 

 

 

 

d.       eg-right 

ht-right   (ix_3a NMMeyegazeheadhilt)

 

                                                                                

 

Personal pronouns in DGS are marked for a number of grammatical categories such as person [Lexicon 3.7.2.1. ], number [Lexicon 3.7.2.2.], clusivity [Lexicon 3.7.2.3.] and honorific status [Lexicon 3.7.2.6.].