A Grammar of Italian Sign Language (LIS)

Locative clauses in LIS take the form of a relative clause (SYNTAX 3.4).

         The locative clause may contain a head noun, as house in (a), or a more generic sign expressing location, as area in (b). The relativisation sign pe may be optionally produced at the end of the locative clause (b) or next to the head noun (a). Its presence is, however, not compulsory, as shown in (c).

 

 

 

                                                                                                  rel

         a.            past ix(loc) house pe father live ix(loc) now parking_lot

         ‘The house where my father used to live is now a parking lot.’

 

 

 

                                                                                   rel

         b.            football child++ play area pe CL(4): ‘grass_grow’ anymore

         ‘The grass doesn’t grow anymore where the children play football.’

 

 

 

                                                                                                     rel

         c.            past father^mother ix house live ix(loc) now parking_lot

         ‘In the place where my parents used to live, now there is a parking lot.’

 

Another way to express locative clauses in LIS is through a free relative clause (SYNTAX 3.4), that is, a relative clause that, instead of displaying a head noun and the sign pe, employs a wh-element, like the sign where in the example below.

 

 

 

                                           rel

         past ix₁ play where now cinema

         ‘Where I used to play there is now a cinema.’