3.9.1. Coordinating conjunctions

Coordination [SYNTAX 3.1] is mainly expressed using non-manual markers such as body leans and head tilts, together with the use of space. It can also be marked using coordinating conjunctions that consist in lexical signs that differ depending on the type of coordination.

There are three main types of coordination: conjunctive, disjunctive and adversative. The first two types are more commonly expressed through non-manual markers. In conjunction, the signs also and plus express additivity and or is found in disjunction, as shown in the examples below. or is coarticulated with the mouthing /o/, which is very commonly used even without the lexical sign. Moreover, in disjunction, the coordinated elements are marked with body leans/head tilts, together with squinted eyes, furrowed eyebrows and both lips curving down [SYNTAX 3.1.2.1.3]. These signs used as conjunctions in conjunction and disjunction are not obligatory since non-manual markers and use of space can anyway express their meaning [SYNTAX 3.1.2.3].

               

                also

                           ht-left                        ht-right ht-left

a)      marina ice-cream also chocolate pay.                        

‘Marina paid for an ice-cream and for a chocolate.’

(© Giorgia Zorzi 2018. Reprinted with permission from Zorzi, 2018b: 121)

           ht-right                                                            ht-left                   ht-right

                           shn                                                       shn                                                   shn

b)      marc cake bake[contra] also marina pizza eat also ix2 sandwich prepare.

            ‘Marc baked a cake, and Marina ate a pizza and you prepared a sandwich.

(© Giorgia Zorzi 2018. Reprinted with permission from Zorzi, 2018b: 117)

               

                  plus-y

                           ht-left                                           bl-right, ht-right

                       re             /mas/                                    re  

marina pizza bake plus-y marc sandwich prepare.    

‘Marina baked a pizza and Marc prepared a sandwich.’

(© Giorgia Zorzi 2018. Reprinted with permission from Zorzi, 2018b: 119)

               

                   or

                                                          fe, sq

                               ht-left   /o/       ht-right

marina work  or vacation.            

            ‘Marina will work or will go on vacation.’                                                                                          

(© Giorgia Zorzi 2018. Reprinted with permission from Zorzi, 2018b: 128)

In adversative coordination, the sign but appears more frequently than the other coordinating conjunctions. There are three types of adversative coordination constructions: contrastive, corrective and counterexpectational. Among them, but is obligatory only in the third one [SYNTAX 3.1.2.3]. An example of each type is respectively listed below.

              

                  but

Contrastive:

                                                                ht-right re, sq                          ht-left, bl-left  ht-right, bl-left

giorgia cake chocolate very good but  [fruit cl(5): ‘fruit’+++ burn][ipsi].   

            ‘Giorgia baked a very good chocolate cake, but burnt a fruit cake.’

(© Alexandra Navarrete-González & Giorgia Zorzi 2019. Reprinted with permission from Navarrete- González & Zorzi, 2019)

            Corrective:

                                             re    hs   re, ht-b

                                            ht-right                   ht-right

jordi beer cl: ‘drink’ not  but sangria yes.    

            ‘Jordi did not drink beer, but sangria.’

(© Giorgia Zorzi 2018. Reprinted with permission from Zorzi, 2018b: 139)

            Counterexpectational:

                                                                                          re

                                                                                       bl-f

jordi very-tall but basketball play very-bad.   

            ‘Jordi is very tall, but he is very bad at playing basketball.’

(© Giorgia Zorzi 2018. Reprinted with permission from Zorzi, 2018b: 107)