A Grammar of Italian Sign Language (LIS)

Ordinal numerals in LIS employ the same handshapes selected by cardinal numerals. The two classes are distinguished by absence or presence of movement: cardinals from 1 to 10 do not display any particular movement, whereas ordinals from 1st to 10th require a wrist rotation from prone to supine (see the section on secondary movement PHONOLOGY 1.3.2). To illustrate, we show a one-hand ordinal, second (a), and a two-hand ordinal, eighth (b).

 

 

 

            a.         second          

 

 

 

            b.         eighth

 

The phonological form (movement, location, and absolute orientation) of ordinals might slightly vary according to the kind of the ranked entity (e.g. sequences, winning positions, railway platforms, etc.). For example, if second is used to refer to the second floor of a building, the palm is usually oriented outward and the movement is upward.

 

 

 

            second_up

            ‘Second floor’

 

If second is used to refer to the second row in a theatre, it is usually signed with upward palm orientation and inward repeated movement.

 

 

 

            second_back

            ‘Second row (in a theatre)’

 

Differently from the previous cases, second in competition ranking is usually articulated with inward palm orientation and with a downward repeated movement.

 

 

 

            ranking ix₁ second_down

            ‘In the ranking, I am in second position.’

 

Moreover, cardinals constitute a potentially unlimited class of items, whereas ordinals constitute a defective class since it is limited to ten items, from first to tenth. Ordinals higher than 10th are expressed in LIS with the equivalent cardinals together with the ranked entity. For example, in a competition, the eleventh position is expressed through the cardinal eleven and the sign place.

 

 

 

            ranking ix₁ eleven place

            ‘In the ranking, I hold the eleventh position.’

 

Another common strategy to keep track of ordinal numbering in signed discourse is represented by list buoys (see LEXICON 1.2.3 and PRAGMATICS 2.2.3). For example, a signer is talking about his last summer trip and lists the cities he visited (in order, Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona). The ordinal numbering (first, second, third) can be indicated by the non-dominant hand, as shown below.

 

           

            a.         dom:                ix_[thumb]

                        n-dom:one

            ‘First, …’

 

           

            b.         dom:                ix_[index]

                        n-dom:two

            ‘Second, …’

 

           

            c.         dom:                ix_[middle]

                        n-dom:three

            ‘Third, …’

 

List buoys usually range from first to fifth.