A Grammar of Turkish Sign Language (TİD)

The numeral one is used as an indefinite [Pragmatics - 1.3.] article in the following NP, [one research].

 

 

              ix(:)₁                                          [one                              research]                               share                                     want

 

'I want to share a (piece of) research'

 

A pointing sign, ix, can be used to introduce a referent [Pragmatic - 1.]. This is called locus assigning (ix(loc)_a). After this, a pointing pronoun (ix_3a) is directed to the same location. The pointing sign now functions as a pronoun [Lexicon - 3.7.] as given below.

 

 

 

         [poss(d)₁ friend_a ix(loc)_a] ear ache. today ix_3a home stay want

'My friend has an earache. She wants to stay home today.'

 

  (r.f. from Nuhbaloğlu and Özsoy 2014: 9)

 

A noun phrase can contain both a possessive pronoun and a locus assigner as the following example shows.

         

                         poss(d)₃                           father                               ix(loc)_a

          'His father (who I am assigning to this location loc-a in space)'

 

The indefinite article one can also be used with a locus assigner.

 

        one                                                man                                       ix(loc)_a

'A man (who I am assigning to this location loc-a in space)'

 

 

A definite article is used to refer to a referent that is already introduced into the discourse, namely both the signer and the addressee know about this referent. A pointing sign that accompanies a noun can be used as a definite article in TİD.

 

[ix(def)                            man]                                                                    look_for

'The man is looking for (the frog).'