A Grammar of German Sign Language (DGS)

Continuative or durative aspect indicates a continuous event or action without a clear recognizable start or end point. DGS expresses continuative aspect based on the phonological form of the verb. Specifically, the marking varies whether the sign involves path movement [Phonology 1.3.1] or not.

 

If verbs do not involve path movement as in a) or end with a final hold as in b), the verb sign is frozen to express continuative aspect.

 

a.       child small sleep._dur                                                           

‘The small child is constantly sleeping.’

         

 

b.      screen ix₁ stare_at._dur                                                         

‘I stared at the screen for a long time.’

 

                                                                  

 

Verbs, which consist only of a movement sequence, are lengthened to express continuative aspect. Verb lengthening is shown in the following examples.

 

a.       poss₁ friend ix(loc)_a america fly._dur                                                                            

‘My friend is flying to America for hours’.

 

 

 

b.      m-a-r-c new word sign think_about._dur                                                                              

         ‘Marc is thinking about a new sign for a long time.’

 

                                                                       (based on Happ & Vorköper, 2006:145)

 

 

 

Agreement verbs [Lexicon 3.2.2] as in a) or spatial verbs [Lexicon 3.2.3] as in b), which agree with previous established points in the signing space, mark durative aspect by reduplication of the verb as exemplified below.

 

 

a.       thief ix_3b police ix_3a ask_3b++._dur

‘The police have been asking the thief for hours.’

 

 

b.       sign^language school_a university frankfurt_b e-v-a t-i-m ix_3a+3bpl together

_ago_b ++

‘Eva and Tim are constantly going back and forth between the sign language school and the university Frankfurt.’

 

 

                                                                       (based on Happ & Vorköper, 2006: 146)

 

 

If the verb’s citation form involves repetition as in the sign wait, durative aspect is also expressed by reduplicating the verb.

 

poss₁ friend ix(loc)_a train already long wait++._dur                              

‘My friends have been waiting for a long time in the train’.


 

                                                

 

Furthermore, an additional way to express continuative/durative aspect is, to add the sign continuous as both examples below illustrate.

 

a.       father continuous work++                                               

‘The father is working continuously.’                                           

(based on Papaspyrou et al., 2008: 163)


 

 

 

 

b.      baby ix cry++._dur continuous++

‘The baby cries continuously.’