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Article published In: Sign Language & Linguistics
Vol. 28:1 (2025) ► pp.49–103

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The indefinite-interrogative affinity in Catalan Sign Language (LSC)

ORCiD logo with link | University of Amsterdam
 | University of Amsterdam
 | University of Amsterdam
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with University of Amsterdam.

Published online: 11 March 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/sll.24002.vei
Abstract
This paper explores the morphology and the licensing conditions of a particular type of indefinite pronouns, referred to as quex-indefinites, which are morphologically identical or closely related to question words. We present findings from two studies investigating these forms in Catalan Sign Language (LSC). The first study is based on elicitation with three LSC consultants, while the second is an online experiment which collected judgments from 50 deaf LSC signers. Our research reveals that LSC quex-indefinites may be either identical to or resemble question words and identifies the semantic categories and environments that allow them. Specifically, quex-indefinites in LSC are possible in the categories of person, quantity, cause, and time. The licensing environments include polar questions, antecedents of conditionals, positive episodic sentences, and some modal environments. This study provides the first description of quex-indefinites in a sign language, contributing to the understanding of the affinity between indefinite and interrogative pronouns.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Quexistentials in spoken languages
      • 2.1.1Cross-linguistic distribution
      • 2.1.2Licensing conditions
    • 2.2Quexistentials in sign languages
  • 3.Study 1: Data elicitation
    • 3.1Method
    • 3.2Results
      • 3.2.1Indefinite signs in LSC
      • 3.2.2Quexistentials in LSC
      • 3.2.3Licensing of quex-indefinites
      • 3.2.4Manual and non-manual marking
    • 3.3Summary
  • 4.Study 2: Online experiment
    • 4.1The quex-Statement condition
    • 4.2Participants
    • 4.3Materials and design
      • 4.3.1Task 1
      • 4.3.2Task 2
    • 4.4Procedure
    • 4.5Data availability
    • 4.6Data treatment and analysis
    • 4.7Results
      • 4.7.1Task 1
      • 4.7.2Task 2
      • 4.7.3quex-Statements in Tasks 1 and 2
    • 4.8Summary
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Licensing and disambiguation of bare quexistentials
    • 5.2Asymmetric markedness relation
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Author contributions
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
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