A Grammar of Italian Sign Language (LIS)

Reduplication is a morphosyntactic phenomenon highly productive in LIS. It can be used to convey several grammatical functions, such as plurality (MORPHOLOGY 4.1), reciprocity (MORPHOLOGY 3.1.3), exhaustivity (MORPHOLOGY 3.1.2.3), and different types of verbal aspect (MORPHOLOGY 3.3). We refer the reader to the aforementioned sections for details about the use of reduplication for morphological purposes.

            From a phonological perspective, reduplication can be realised as repetition of the sign without dislocation (simple reduplication), or it can be combined with a shift in the signing space (e.g., sideward reduplication). Simple reduplication can be observed in aspectual modifications. As shown in (a) below, the verb go is a one-handed sign articulated with a simple path movement in the neutral space. This sign can be reduplicated, as in (b), maintaining the same starting point and the same end point to express habitual aspect (MORPHOLOGY 3.3.1.1). This aspectual modification indicates that the event of going to a certain place happened repeatedly over time.

 

 

 

            a.         go (citation form)

 

 

 

            b.         go++ (habitual aspect)

            ‘Used to go’

 

Sideward reduplication can be observed in the plural form of some nouns: the sign is typically repeated with slight lateral dislocations toward the ipsilateral region of the signing space. To illustrate, we show below the noun villa in its citation form (a) and plural form (b).

 

 

 

            a.         villa (citation form)

 

 

 

            b.         villa++ (plural form)

            ‘Villas 

 

Reduplication may involve either all phonological components of a sign or some selected features. For example, the noun child is a one-handed sign articulated in the neutral space with a short, repeated movement. When pluralized, the sign undergoes sideward reduplication. In the reduplicated forms, the movement component of child can be phonologically reduced, as in (a), or left unspecified with the sideward dislocation as the only movement of the sign, as in (b).

 

 

 

            a.         child++ (reduced movement + dislocation)

            ‘Children’ (based on Bertone, 2011: 99) 

 

 

 

            b.         child++ (dislocation)

            ‘Children’ (based on Bertone, 2011: 99)

 

Reduplication of one-handed signs like child may be realised by both hands. As we can see below, all the phonological features of the sign can be copied onto the signer’s non-dominant hand. The resulting sign is a two-handed sign in which the hands move symmetrically.

 

 

 

            child++ (two hands)

            ‘Children’ (based on Bertone, 2011: 99)

 

Interestingly, to convey reduplication, the two hands can perform symmetrical movements or, in some cases, alternating movements. The noun tree is a two-handed sign realised with both hands performing an upward path movement. Pluralisation can have two different realisations: the two hands can repeat the sign moving symmetrically, as in (a), or moving in an alternating fashion as independent articulators, as in (b).

 

 

 

            a.         tree++ (symmetrical movement)

            ‘Trees’

 

 

 

            b.         tree++ (alternating movement)

            ‘Trees’