Cover not available

In:Advances in Sign Language Corpus Linguistics
Edited by Ella Wehrmeyer
[Studies in Corpus Linguistics 108] 2023
► pp. 123–154

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload Book EPUB
authorization required

Chapter 5
A corpus-based analysis of coordinate structures in Libras

 | Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
 | Universidade Federal de Alagoas
 | Universidade Federal de Ceará
Published online: 3 April 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.108.05qua
Abstract
This chapter describes coordination processes in Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) based on data from the Libras Corpus <https://​corpuslibras​.ufsc​.br/>. Similar to other sign languages (e.g., Tang & Lau 2012; Zorzi 2018), coordinate structures in Libras are organized by juxtaposing one to the other, either marked only by nonmanual markers, or through connectors such as but, or, is (with a value of “that is”), also, or a combination of manual and nonmanual markers. After annotating the data for each sign for both hands, we annotated the syntactic units and then identified the coordinated sentences using ELAN. We find that use of nonmanual markers is especially prevalent, in both conjunctive and disjunctive structures, establishing prosodic boundaries and clauses limits. In adversative coordinate clauses, manual connectors such as mas (“but”) are used, and we attest to a small number of occurrences of nonmanual markers with adversatives.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Syntactic articulation between clauses
    • 2.1Parataxis in sign languages
  • 3.Method
    • 3.1Data annotation
    • 3.2Research participants
    • 3.3Data analysis
  • 4.Qualitative analysis and discussion
    • 4.1Paratactic structures with manual markers
      • 4.1.1Conjunctives with manual markers
      • 4.1.2Adversatives with manual markers
      • 4.1.3Disjunctives with manual markers
    • 4.2Paratactic structures with nonmanual markers
      • 4.2.1Conjunctive paratactic structures with nonmanual markers
      • 4.2.2Adversative clauses with nonmanual markers
      • 4.2.3Nonmanual marking of disjunctive clauses
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
References (25)
References
Brazil. 2010. Decreto 7.387, de 09 de dezembro de 2010. Institui o Inventário Nacional da Diversidade Linguística e dá outras Providências. Brasília. <[URL]> (14 June 2022).
Cecchetto, Carlo, Geraci, Carlo & Zucchi, Sandro. 2009. Another way to mark syntactic dependencies: The case for right-peripheral specifiers in sign languages. Language 85(2): 278–320. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Davidson, Kathryn. 2013. ‘And’ or ‘or’: General use coordination in ASL. Semantics & Pragmatics 6(4): 1–44. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Haspelmath, Martin. 2004. Coordination. In Language Typology and Syntactic Description, Vol. II: Complex Constructions, Timothy Shopen (ed.), 1–51. Cambridge: CUP.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hopper, Paul & Traugott, Elisabeth. 1993. Grammaticalization. Cambridge: CUP.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
IPHAN. 2016a. Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN) (Brazil). Guia de pesquisa e documentação para o INDL: Patrimônio cultural e diversidade linguística / Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional. Brasília-DF. <[URL]> (14 June 2022).
. 2016b. Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN) (Brazil). Guia de pesquisa e documentação para o INDL: patrimônio cultural e diversidade linguística / Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional. Brasília-DF. <[URL]> (14 June 2022).
Kenedy, Eduardo & Othero, Gabriel. 2018. Para Conhecer – Sintaxe. São Paulo: Contexto.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Leite, Tarcísio de Arantes & de Quadros, Ronice Müller. 2014. Línguas de Sinais do Brasil: Reflexões sobre o seu estatuto de risco e a importância da documentação. In Estudos da Língua de Sinais Volume II, Marianne Stumpf, Tarcísio de Arantes Leite & Ronice Müller de Quadros (eds), 15–27. Florianópolis: Editora Insular.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Liddell, Scott. 2003. Grammar, Gesture, and Meaning in American Sign Language. Cambridge: CUP. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Meir, Irit & Sandler, Wendy. 2007. A Language in Space: The Story of Israeli Sign Language (1st ed.). London: Psychology Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nespor, Marina & Sandler, Wendy. 1999. Prosody in Israeli Sign Language. Language and Speech 42(2–3): 143–176. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pfau, Roland & Quer, Josep. 2010. Nonmanuals: Their grammatical and prosodic roles. In Sign Languages: A Cambridge Language Survey, Diane Brentari (ed.), 381–402. Cambridge: CUP. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
de Quadros, Ronice M. 2016. Documentação da Libras. In Seminário Ibero-Americano de Diversidade Linguística, 2014, Foz do Iguaçu, Vol. 1, Marcus Garcia, Mônia Silvestrin, Ana Seifert, Flávia Berto, Thiago Chacon & Giovana Pereira (eds), 157–174. Brasília: IPHAN Ministério da Cultura.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
de Quadros, Ronice M. & Silva, Jair B. 2021. Articulação de orações em Libras. In Gramática da Libras, Ronice M. de Quadros (ed.). Petrópolis/RJ: Editora Arara Azul. <[URL]> (19 December 2022).
de Quadros, Ronice M., Neves, Bruna, Schmitt, Deonísio, Lohn, Juliana & Luchi, Marcos. 2018. Língua Brasileira de Sinais Patrimônio Linguístico Brasileiro. Editora Garapuvu. <[URL]> (26 September 2021).
Rocha, Amanda. 2021. Uma investigação sobre o uso de recursividade na libras. Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.
Rodrigues, Angélica. 2019. As orações adversativas na Língua Brasileira de Sinais: Uma abordagem semântico-funcional. Sensos-e 6(1): 90–103.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sandler, Wendy. 2011. Prosody and syntax in sign languages. Transactions of the Philological Society 108(3): 298–328. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Swadesh, Morris, Sherzer, Joel & Hymes, Dell. 1971. The Origin and Diversification of Language. Edited post mortem by Joel Sherzer. Chicago IL: Aldine.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tang, Gladys & Lau, Prudence. 2012. Coordination and subordination. In Sign Language: An International Handbook, Roland Pfau, Markus Steinbach & Bencie Woll (eds), 340–365. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wilbur, Ronnie. 1994. Eyeblinks and ASL phrase structure. Sign Language Studies 84: 221–240. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xavier, Andre & Barbosa, Felipe. 2017. Variabilidade e estabilidade na produção de sinais da Libras. Domínios de Lingu@gem 11(3): 983–1006. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zorzi, Giorgia. 2018. Coordination and Gapping in Catalan Sign Language (LSC). PhD thesis, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Wehrmeyer, Ella
2025. Structure of simple declarative clauses in South African Sign Language. Sign Language & Linguistics 28:1 ► pp. 104 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 1 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue