A Grammar of German Sign Language (DGS)

DGS allows for several different ways to mark focus. Focus most frequently is marked prosodically by manual and non-manual modification of the signs. Prosodic focus marking may comprise tensed/pronounced and large signing and the lengthening of signs, but most prominently non-manuals, such as raised eyebrows, head nods and tilts, and wide-open eyes. Syntactically, focused elements can be placed sentence-finally as in question-answer-sequences. The sentence-final position has been associated with focused elements. In some cases, focused elements can be fronted to express emphasized information. Importantly, some focus types in DGS, such as contrastive focus, are obligatorily marked, whereas, for example, information focus is optionally marked. Focus markers may also have different instantiations depending on phonological and contextual factors. For example, the lexical marking of focused signs and the realization of the surrounding signs may influence and manipulate the choice of markers and their combinations. The context may also trigger a de-accentuation strategy with respect to the focused elements, as the main goal is to establish a contrastive pattern.