A Grammar of Italian Sign Language (LIS)

The locative clause is marked by the same non-manuals marking relative clauses, namely, squint eyes (sq), raised eyebrows (re) eyeblink (eb) and head nod (hn).

The spreading domain and obligatoriness of the different non-manual markings differ. While the non-manual marker squint eyes obligatory spreads over the entire locative clause, the non-manual marking raised eyebrows appears to be optionally produced. When present, it may spread i) only over the sign pe when it surfaces at the end of the locative clause (in full relatives), as in sentence (a) below, ii) only over the wh-sign (in free relatives), as in sentence (b) below, or iii) over the entire locative clause, as shown in sentence (c) below. In the absence of the sign pe in full relatives, the non-manual marking raised eyebrows may be substituted by repeated head nods produced at the end of the locative clause (d). Finally, a head nod and an eyeblink separates the locative clause from the main clause. The following sentences reproduce the spreading domain of the different non-manuals marking locative clauses in LIS.

 

 

 

                                                                               hn

                                                                                re

                                                                                sq eb

         a.            yesterday ix₁₊₂ meet area pe    left shop shoemaker exist

         ‘There is a shoemaker shop near the place where we met yesterday.’

 

 

 

                                                             hn

                                                              re

                                                             sq eb

         b.            past ix₁ play where   now cinema

         ‘Where I used to play there is now a cinema.’

 

 

 

                                                               hn

                                                                re

                                                                sq eb

         c.            ix₁ eat done point pe     ix₁ computer forget ix₁

         ‘I forgot the computer where I ate.’

 

 

 

                                                                                                     hn hn

                                                                                                     sq eb

         d.            past father^mother ix house live ix(loc)   now parking_lot

         ‘Near the house where my parents used to live there is now a parking lot.’