A Grammar of Italian Sign Language (LIS)

Different manual signs may be used to express simultaneity: when (a), moment (b), exactly (c), and the phrases time now pe (d) and time now identical (e) (or time identical now).

 

                  

         a.            when 

 

                  

         b.            moment

 

                  

         c.            exactly

 

                                  

         d.            time                  now                                pe

 

                        

         e.            time              now                identical

 

Note that these manual signs are optional. While the manual sign when is produced at the beginning of the subordinate clause, the other signs are produced at the beginning of the main clause. Each manual sign is shown below with an example containing it.

 

 

 

                                                                     cd

                                                                   re

         a.            when ix₁ padua arrive ix_{1 1}text₂

         ‘When I arrive in Padua, I will send you a message.’

 

 

 

                                       cd

                                     re

         b.            ₂text₁ moment ix₁ shower

         ‘When you sent me the text message, I was taking a shower.’

 

 

 

                                      cd

                                    re

         c.            ₃text₁ exactly ix₁ shower

         ‘When s/he sent me the text message, I was taking a shower.’

 

 

 

                                             cd

                                           re

         d.            ix_{2 2}text₁ ix₁ time now pe drive

         ‘When you sent me the text message, I was driving.’

 

 

 

                                       cd

                                    re

         e.            ₃text₁ time identical now ix₁ drive

         ‘When s/he sent me the text message, I was driving.’

 

The optional manual sign expressing anteriority is the sign after.

 

                  

         after

 

When produced, it appears at the beginning of the main clause.

 

 

 

                                    cd

                                  re

         luca go_away after anna cry

         ‘After Luca left, Anna cried.’

 

LIS displays different manual signs that may be optionally used to express posteriority:

before (a), earlier (b), not_yet (c). The phrase already before (d) can also be used.

 

                     

         a.            before                      

 

                    

         b.            earlier                     

 

                  

         c.            not_yet

 

                     

         d.       already          before

 

Each manual sign is shown below together with an example containing it.

                                               

 

 

                                             cd

                                            re

         a.            ix₂ arrive ix_1pl before eat done

         ‘We ate before you arrived.’

 

 

 

                                              cd

                                            re

         b.            ix₂ arrive ix_1pl earlier eat done

         ‘We ate before you arrived.’

 

 

 

                                                       cd

                                                      re

         c.            alarm not_yet ix_a thief_a go_away

         ‘The thief left before the alarm went on.’

 

 

 

                                                 cd

                                              re

         d.            bank close a-n-n-a money take already before

         ‘Anna withdrew the money before the bank closed.’

 

Of these, the manual sign not_yet is the only one occurring inside the subordinate clause, at the end of it. All other signs are produced in the main clause, with some flexibility with respect to their position: the sign before can be produced either at the beginning or end of the main clause, or before the main clause predicate. The manual sign already before can be produced either at the end of the main clause, or be separated by other signs within the main clause predicate, as in:

 

                                           cd

                                         re

         ix₁ cinema arrive girlfriend already ticket buy before

         ‘When I arrived at the cinema, my girlfriend had already bought the tickets.’

 

The sign earlier can be produced before the main clause predicate, or at the beginning of the main clause.