Revisiting the boundary between linguistic and gestural

Sign Language & Linguistics

Abstract

Abstract Despite extensive research on the topic, the divide between what is gestural and what is properly linguistic in the case of classifier predicates is still a matter of controversy. In this paper, we adopt the analysis according to which classifier predicates involve the co-utterance of a fully linguistic unit and of a demonstrative gesture ( Zucchi, Cecchetto & Geraci 2012 ; Davidson 2015 ). In light of this debate, we extensively discuss the source of argument structure in classifier predicates, more specifically the hypothesis stemming from work by Benedicto & Brentari (2004) , according to which different classifier types determine the unergative, unaccusative, or transitive nature of the classifier. After discussing some new counterexamples to a rigid mapping between classifier types and argument structure, we propose a pragmatic reinterpretation of this regular, but not exceptionless, mapping.

Authors 2

1. Adrien Dadone Aachen

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University

2. Carlo Cecchetto

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris 8

   Affiliation as printed

   SFL (CNRS & Paris 8 University)