A Grammar of Catalan Sign Language (LSC)

3.9.3. Correlative conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions is a type of subordinating conjunctions that consist of at least two items that assign a correlative relation to two equal grammatical elements, generating parallel constructions. Below we can see an example of how only-not… plus, meaning ‘not only… but’, is expressed. The context used to introduce the sentence is “last night Jordi was very unconsidered”.


yesterday night jordi party. drink+++ money spend+++ ix3 only not, plus phone lose.

‘Last night Jordi went to a party. He did not only drink a lot and spent a lot of money, he also/even lost his phone.’         

Correlative conjunctions such as the English ‘neither... nor’ are not necessarily expressed through a specific combination of signs. Strategies that involve contrast in the use of space or repetition of a sign in both clauses make possible to express them. The example below represents how ‘neither... nor’ is conveyed through the repetition of the negation in both conjuncts.


  marina swim like not, run also-not.                  

‘Marina does neither like to swim, nor to run.’

List of editors

Josep Quer and Gemma Barberà

Copyright info

© 2020 Gemma Barberà, Sara Cañas-Peña, Berta Moya-Avilés, Alexandra Navarrete-González, Josep Quer, Raquel Veiga Busto, Aida Villaécija, Giorgia Zorzi

Bibliographical reference for citation

The entire grammar:
Quer, Josep and Gemma Barberà (eds.). 2020. A Grammar of Catalan Sign Language (LSC). 1st ed. (SIGN-HUB Sign Language Grammar Series). (www.thesignhub.eu/grammar/lsc) (Accessed 31-10-2021)

A Chapter:
Surname, Name. 2020. Syntax: 3. Coordination and Subordination. In Josep Quer and Gemma Barberà (eds.), A Grammar of Catalan Sign Language (LSC). 1st ed. (SIGN-HUB Sign Language Grammar Series). (www.thesignhub.eu/grammar/lsc) (Accessed 31-10-2021)

A Section:
Surname, Name. 2020. Phonology: 1.1.1.2. Finger configuration. In Josep Quer and Gemma Barberà (eds.), A Grammar of Catalan Sign Language (LSC). 1st ed. (SIGN-HUB Sign Language Grammar Series). (www.thesignhub.eu/grammar/lsc) (Accessed 31-10-2021)

Surname, Name. 2020. Syntax: 3.1.2.1.3. Manual markers in disjunctive coordination. In Josep Quer and Gemma Barberà (eds.), A Grammar of Catalan Sign Language (LSC). 1st ed. (SIGN-HUB Sign Language Grammar Series). (www.thesignhub.eu/grammar/lsc) (Accessed 31-10-2021)