3.1.1 Types of clausal coordination
Within clausal coordination, we may distinguish three main types of conjunction: conjoined conjunction, adversative conjunction, and disjunctive conjunction.
Depending on the type of conjunction, LIS coordinates clauses either through the employment of both manual and non-manual conjunctions, or through the only use of non-manual markings. In the following example, a case of conjoined conjunction, the two clauses are coordinated only through the non-manual markings composed of: a change in head and shoulder position between the two clauses (which are produced in a different location in space), chin down (cd) at the end of the first clause, and eye blink signalling the boundary between clauses.
cd
mario cake prepare luca banana CL(unspread 5): ‘cut_banana’
‘Mario prepares a cake and Luca cuts a banana.’
When joining clauses in adversative conjunction, they may be coordinated through the use of the manual conjunction but, as shown below. When it happens, the two conjoined clauses are also marked by chin down (cd) and eye blink at the end of the first clause.
cd
luca party go want but dance not
‘Luca wants to go to the party, but he doesn’t dance.’
In disjunctive conjunction, LIS employs the manual conjunction glossed or and the following non-manual markers: optional forward body lean (bl-f), chin down (cd) and eye blink occurring at the end of the first clause, as shown in the example below.
cd
bl-f
evening ix(dem) a-n-n-a book read or film see
‘Tonight Anna will read a book or will watch a film.’
In the following sections, the three types of clausal coordination will be described in detail.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant Agreement No 693349.