A Grammar of German Sign Language (DGS)

In DGS, null subjects occur with plain, spatial and agreement verbs [Lexicon 3.2]. Plain verbs [Lexicon 3.2.1] are not modified for agreement purpose; thus, the referent of the omitted subject argument must be retrievable from context as demonstrated below.

 

         ix₁ cake bake / unfortunately burn

         ‘I baked a cake. Unfortunately, (the cake) burnt.’

 

 

With body-anchored plain verbs, omitted subject arguments typically refer to a first-person referent.

 

         like team together

         ‘(I) prefer team sports.’

                                                         (based on Oomen, 2020: 139)

 

 

Agreement verbs [Lexicon 3.2.2] change path movement and/or finger orientation to mark agreement with their subject and object arguments. Consequently, a modified movement or orientation clearly indicates the subject referent so all kinds of subject arguments can be dropped. Subject omission with backward agreement verbs is rare in DGS.

 

         poss₁ grandmother_{3b 3a}help_3b

         ‘(My mother/she) helps my grandmother.’

 

 

Subject arguments are also omitted with spatial verbs [Lexicon 3.2.3] either with directional spatial verbs as in (a) or with local spatial verbs as in (b).

 

 

a.       then office ix(loc)_a cl(B): ‘go_a’

         ‘Then, (we) went to the office.’

 

 

 

b.      garden sit

         ‘(The family) sits in the garden.’