Information ordering and speaker subjectivity: Modality in ASL

Modality is frequently defined as the conceptual domain of necessity & possibility. It is expressed by modals (lexemes or auxiliaries) or grammatical mood (inflectional coding on the verb). In this article, I describe the discourse functions of specific markers of modality in American Sign Langu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cognitive linguistics 2004-01, Vol.15 (2), p.175-195
Main Author: Shaffer, Barbara
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Linguistics
Sign language
Subjectivity
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Summary:Modality is frequently defined as the conceptual domain of necessity & possibility. It is expressed by modals (lexemes or auxiliaries) or grammatical mood (inflectional coding on the verb). In this article, I describe the discourse functions of specific markers of modality in American Sign Language. I illustrate the interplay of manual & nonmanual marking of modals & show that each contributes to a given modal's meaning in the discourse. I also explore the iconic relationship between the expression of speaker subjectivity & information ordering in ASL. The position of the modal in an utterance corresponds to the modal's scope & to its role in the discourse. Modals with scope over only the verb appear near the verb while modals with clausal scope appear at the end of the clause. 3 Figures, 21 References. Adapted from the source document
ISSN:0936-5907
1613-3641
DOI:10.1515/cogl.2004.007