Chapter 6. Reporting and role shift
DGS uses role shift [Syntax 3.3.3] as a linguistic device to report utterances, thoughts and actions of others. Role shift is mainly marked by non-manuals such as body lean and shift of eye gaze and is frequently used in signed narration. Role shift can be subdivided in two different kinds: attitude and action role shift. Both kinds of role shift use partly different markers and display different properties. Therefore, we discuss these two kinds of role shift in two different subsections. But in more complex constructions, both kinds of role shift can also be mixed. In such cases, the distinction between attitude role shift and action role shift – or between parts that express attitude role shift and parts that express action role shift – is not always clear.