A Grammar of German Sign Language (DGS)

Handle classifiers represent parts of the entity they refer to, and like entity classifiers and bodypart classifiers, always combine with verbs. They combine with verbs that express the handling or movement of the referred object. The size of the referred object determines the handshape the signer chooses. While long, thin objects are signed using a #-handshape, empty coin-shaped objects are signed with a <-handshape. The examples below show different handshapes used with handle classifiers in DGS depending on the size of the object.

 

a.          man_3a woman_3b flower cl(3 ):‘_3agive_3b’                          

                       ‘A man gives a woman a flower.’

 

 

 

b.         shelf girl vase cl(<):‘put_on’                                              

            ‘The girl puts the vase on the shelf.’

 

 

c.          sport^person spear cl( 6):‘carry’                    

            ‘The athlete carries the spear.’

                                                                                               (based on Happ, 2005: 19)

 

The table below lists several different handshapes that occur with handle classifier in DGS.

 

 

Classifier handshape	example
	needle, hair, single flower, pen
	cup, bottle, pipe
	cube, square bar
	folder, tray, sheet of paper
	book, box
	stick, bar
	child, cat, ball

List of handle classifier handshapes

                                                                       (based on Happ & Vorköper, 2006: 161)

 

Notice, that handle classifiers combine with transitive and ditransitive predicates [Syntax 2.1.1.1] like give, take or carry in DGS as can been seen in the following example.

 

         cupboard study^person globe cl()):‘take’

         ‘The student takes the globe from the cupboard.’

                                                    

                                                           (based on Happ & Vorköper, 2005: 92)