3.7.2.4. Case
Some LIS signers acknowledge the possibility to use a pronoun which is phonologically homophonous to the sign person. It is realised with a curved open L handshape combined with downward movement. From a semantic point of view, this sign (glossed here as ix_person) is compatible only with single entities and, in particular, with human referents.
Interestingly, ix_person appears as a case-marked pronoun since it can mark the object only. It is compatible with first, second, and third person objects. Another restriction is that it is typically used in combination with plain verbs (LEXICON 3.2.1), such as be_familiar (a) and remember, and with adjectives selecting argument(s) (SYNTAX 5.2), such as proud (b).
a. ix1 ix2_person be_familiar
‘I know you.’
b. ix2 ix1_person proud
‘You are proud of me.’
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant Agreement No 693349.