A Grammar of Italian Sign Language (LIS)

1.4.2.3. Other structures

LIS exclamatives are often produced with the articulation of the sign very, illustrated in the picture below.

 

                         

         very

 

The following is an example of an exclamative sentence produced with the sign very.

 

 

 

                                                                                     re

         palm_up surprise very beautiful exactly

         โ€˜It is really a beautiful surprise!โ€™

 

The sign very is not a marker exclusively used in exclamative sentences, though. Its status as a sign or as a gesture belonging to the Italian culture is still controversial. Our informants often use it in exclamative sentences but its position is not fixed, as shown by the examples below.

 

 

 

                                     fe

         a.            cold very

         โ€˜How cold!โ€™

 

 

 

                                                          fe

         b.            very back ix1 pain very

         โ€˜What a bad backache!โ€™

List of editors

Chiara Branchini & Lara Mantovan

Copyright info

ยฉ 2020 Chiara Branchini, Chiara Calderone, Carlo Cecchetto, Alessandra Checchetto, Elena Fornasiero, Lara Mantovan & Mirko Santoro

Bibliographical reference for citation

The entire grammar:
Branchini, Chiara and Lara Mantovan (eds.). 2020. A Grammar of Italian Sign Language (LIS). 1st ed. (SIGN-HUB Sign Language Grammar Series). (http://sign-hub.eu/grammars/...) (Accessed 31-10-2021)

A Chapter:
Smith, Mary. 2020. Syntax: 3. Coordination and Subordination. In Branchini, Chiara and Lara Mantovan (eds.), A Grammar of Italian Sign Language (LIS). 1st ed. (SIGN-HUB Sign Language Grammar Series), 230-237. ((http://sign-hub.eu/grammars/...) (Accessed 31-10-2021)

A Section:
Smith, Mary. 2020. Phonology: 1.1.1.2. Finger configuration. In Mary, Smith, Ben Smith and Carlo Smith (eds.), A Grammar of Catalan Sign Language (LSC). 1st ed. (SIGN-HUB Sign Language Grammar Series), 230-237. (http://sign-hub.eu/grammars/...) (Accessed 31-10-2021)

Smith, Mary. 2020. Syntax: 3.1.2.1.3. Manual markers in disjunctive coordination. In Mary, Smith, Ben Smith and Carlo Smith (eds.), A Grammar of Catalan Sign Language (LSC). 1st edn. (SIGN-HUB Sign Language Grammar Series), 230-237. (http://sign-hub.eu/grammars/...) (Accessed 31-10-2021)

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