Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie occidentale

Journal | Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie occidentale
Journal issue | 57 | 2023
Research Article | Instrument syntactic realization in Italian and LIS

Instrument syntactic realization in Italian and LIS

A cross-modal comparative study and implications for interpreting practice

Abstract

This study compares how instruments are syntactically realized in Italian and LIS, using a cross-modal comparative approach. In Italian, Instruments are syntactically realized only when they are not recoverable from the verb. Three Instrument types are identified: shadow, default, and open. Only shadow Instruments are incorporated into the verbal root. As for LIS, our analysis reveals that shadow Instruments are preferred and finer-grained compared to Italian, probably due to visual modality. This has implications for Italian-to-LIS interpretation, as interpreters might make a wrong choice when Italian does not specify, but LIS requires a shadow Instrument.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Submitted: April 6, 2023 | Accepted: June 22, 2023 | Published Oct. 30, 2023 | Language: en

Keywords Semantic incorporationItalian Sign LanguageItalianSemantic recoverabilityInstruments


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