A Grammar of Italian Sign Language (LIS)

In a reciprocal relation a plural argument is coreferential with another argument in the same predication and the arguments are both agents and undergoers of the action (see also LEXICON 3.7.4; MORPHOLOGY 3.1.3).

         When a plain verb expresses a reciprocal relation, the object position is left empty and the predicate does not show any change in its realisation, as shown in (a) and (b) below.

 

 

 

         a.            ix₁₊₃ love

         ‘She and I love each other.’

 

 

 

         b.            a-n-n-a l-u-c-a ix_3a+3b hug

         ‘Anna and Luca hug each other.’

 

The plain verb may also employ a reciprocal pronoun (LEXICON 3.7.4) glossed each_other: a two-handed sign produced with curved open L handshape moving back-and-forth in the neutral space between the two referents of the reciprocal relation. The following example illustrates the use of the reciprocal pronoun.

 

 

 

         ix₁₊₂ understand each_other

         ‘You and I understand each other.’

        

With one-handed agreeing verbs, the reciprocal relation between the arguments is expressed by simultaneously reduplicating the verbal sign, which is produced as a two-handed sign, with the hands displaying the same handshape and movement, but opposite orientation and direction, as in the following examples.

 

 

 

         a.            dom:     ix_{1+3 3}look_at₁

                        n-dom:         ₁look_at₃

         ‘She and I look at each other.’

 

 

 

         b.            dom:    ix_3a+3b akiss_b  

                        n-dom:            _bkiss_a

         ‘They kiss each other.’

 

With two-handed agreeing verbs, the reciprocal relation between the arguments may be expressed by simultaneously reduplicating the verbal sign which is produced as a one-handed sign to allow the simultaneous realisation of the reciprocal relation, as shown below. In this case, the two-handed verbal sign has the same handshape, but the hands move toward opposite directions, as shown below:

 

 

 

         a.            dom:    every_year christmas ix_3a+3b adonate_b

                        n-dom:                    christmas            _bdonate_a

         ‘Every year at Christmas they give each other a present.’

 

 

 

         b.            dom:    ix_3a+3b ahelp_b

                        n-dom:            _bhelp_a

         ‘They help each other.’

 

An alternative strategy to express reciprocity with two-handed agreement verbs is the sequential reduplication of the verb moving from the position in space associated with referent A towards the position in space associated with referent B and vice versa. The following examples show this possibility.

 

 

 

         a.            every_year christmas ix_3a+3b adonate_b bdonate_a

         ‘Every year at Christmas they give each other a present.’

 

 

 

         b.            ix_3a+3b ahelp_b bhelp_a

         ‘They help each other.’

 

There are verbs, like love, that are produced on the signer’s body as a starting point of articulation to move towards the neutral space as a point of arrival. In the first person plural, the verb love, a two-handed sign, may also express reciprocity through what is called sequential reduplication: the sign is first articulated from the signer’s body to the object of predication, and then back, as shown in the example below.

 

 

 

         ix_{1+3 1}love_{3 3}love₁

         ‘She and I love each other.’

 

LIS also has intrinsically reciprocal verbs, such as meet (a) and argue (b). These verbs do not change their way of articulation to express a reciprocal relation.

 

 

 

         a.            morning ix₁₊₃ meet

         ‘This morning he and I met.’

 

 

 

         b.            ix_3pl^three argue++

         ‘The three of them always discuss with each other.’