1.2.3. Buoys
Catalan Sign Language (LSC) uses the sign list as a buoy. The list sign is mainly used as an enumeration strategy. It is articulated with the non-dominant hand, while the dominant hand continues to sign, as we can see in the following examples.
a) dh: ix1 siblings five last ix(fifth)
ndh: list(>)
‘Of the five brothers and sisters I am the fifth.’
b) dh: contest participate++ five ix2 ix(third) congratulations
ndh: list(>)
‘Out of the five participants you are third. Congratulations!’
(examples a-b recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
The list sign may be used for different purposes. For instance, we can add elements to the group, or we can also subtract them, as in examples (a) and (b) below.
a) dh: participate people++ in_the_end remove
hs
ndh: list(v) list(v)----- list(Y)
‘Of the four participants only two remained.’
b) dh: course people++ volunteer list8 add two list(Y) list10
ndh: list(>)
‘There were eight persons enrolled in the course, but as two more enrolled now there are ten.’
(examples a-b recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
We can also use this sign to refer to a whole group or to subsets of the same group:
a) dh: ix1 sibling. deaf all
ndh: list(v)----------
‘We are four brothers and sisters, and all of us are deaf.’
b) dh: ix1 sibling two_older man two_younger woman
ndh: list(v)---------------------------------------------
‘We are four brothers and sisters, the two older are men and the two younger are women.’
c) dh: ix1 sibling ix(older) ix(younger) live tarragona ix(Y)(middle) abroad
ndh: list(v)-------------------- list(v)----
‘We are four brothers and sisters, the eldest and the youngest live in Tarragona, and the two in the middle live abroad.’
(examples a-c recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
The sign list is also commonly used in LSC to refer to the four weeks of a month.
a) dh: ix(poss)1 district month+++ ix(third_week) time_to market ecological
ndh: list(v)-----
‘The second week of every month there’s an ecological market in my district’
b) dh: next month august ix1 go ix(first_fortnight) menorca ix(second_fortnight) ix1 pyrenees
ndh: list(v)------- list(v)----------
‘In August I will spend the first fortnight in Menorca and the second I in the Pyrenees.’
(recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
c) dh: month september ix1 ix(second_week) ix(fouth_week) interview job
ndh: list(v)----------------------
‘In September, I have two job interviews, one in the second week of the month and the other in the fourth.’
d) dh: ix3 divorce children take_care ix(Y)(alternate_weeks)
ndh: list(v)-------------
‘He is divorced and he takes care of his children on alternate weeks.’
Lastly, the sign list can be used in LSC to refer to previously mentioned elements (see the section on [PRAGMATICS 2.2.3].
dh: topic there_are three begin ix(third) difficult but first_of_all ix(first)
ndh: list(j) list(j)
dh: turn(first) turn(second) turn(third) ix(third) easy
ndh: list(j)--------------------------------------------
‘There are three chapters and it's difficult to start by the third. If you do the first and the second in the first place the third chapter will be easier.’
(recreated from Quer et al., 2005)