Morphosyntax

The analysis of the data reveals that the grammatical processes related to a higher functional projection above the VP, the IP, are operative. In particular, verbs are correctly inflected in accordance with the target constraints.

Agreement verbs. Muhammed produces several constructions with verbs that agree with their object. These involve for their greater part verbs like look- at, which is largely due to the plot of the frog story revolving around the protagonists’ search of the runaway frog. Examples (107 c) above (repeated here in (108)) and (109) illustrate constructions with other agreement verbs, that is, peck and wave respectively.

Spatial verbs. Muhammed’s file 1 also contains various constructions with spatial verbs. As we can see in (110) the direction of the verb form come correctly agrees with the locus associated with the signer (ending point of the sign). In (111) the verb form follow-each-other is used to express how two characters run, one after the other. Note, though, that the audience has to infer from the context that the one following the deer must be the dog as this is not made explicit by the narrator. Spatial verbs with subject classifiers are also used at this stage (compare example (100) above, which involves the spatial verb fall with the target-like classifier element for human beings).

Complex classifier constructions. In file 1, we also find instances of complex classifier constructions such as the one provided in (112), a sequence which describes the boy looking into a tree hole. Note that the location complement, the hole in the tree, is introduced via an h2-classifier (the classifier construction follows the production of the NP tree). Notice that the first proposition involves an agreement verb, that is, look, whereas the second proposition involves a plain verb, that is, search. Consequently, the status of the information provided via the h2-classifier differs: verb complement in the former case, adverbial adjunct in the second. As the h2-classifier is retained after a short interruption in the discourse (compare example (104) above, in which Muhammed goes on to recount the boy’s speculations about whether the frog might be in the hole), we are dealing here with an instance of a discourse buoy, that is, the use of a classifier as a device serving a discourse regulatory function.