36.2708, Books: Complex syntactic constructions in Russian Sign Language and Sign Language of the Netherlands: Khristoforova (2025)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-36-2708. Thu Sep 11 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.2708, Books: Complex syntactic constructions in Russian Sign Language and Sign Language of the Netherlands: Khristoforova (2025)

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Date: 11-Sep-2025
From: Jan Martin [lotdissertations-fgw at uva.nl]
Subject: Complex syntactic constructions in Russian Sign Language and Sign Language of the Netherlands: Khristoforova (2025)


Title: Complex syntactic constructions in Russian Sign Language and
Sign Language of the Netherlands
Subtitle: A study of complement and relative clauses
Series Title: LOT Dissertation Series
Publication Year: 2025

Publisher: Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics / Landelijke
(LOT)
           http://www.lotpublications.nl/
Book URL: https://dx.medra.org/10.48273/LOT0696

Author(s): Evgeniia Khristoforova

Paperback
ISBN: 978-94-6093-481-0
Pages: 333
Price: €42.00

Abstract:

This thesis investigates syntactic complexity in Russian Sign Language
(RSL) and Sign Language of the Netherlands (Nederlandse Gebarentaal,
NGT), focusing on two types of complex constructions: complement
clauses and relative clauses. A combination of corpus analysis and
experimental methods (elicitation and acceptability judgments) is
employed to examine these structures in both languages.
The study of complement clauses reveals both cross-linguistic
parallels and points of divergence. In both RSL and NGT, complement
clauses are distinguished based on word order flexibility: control
complements (e.g., complements of try, can, want) permit flexible
ordering of the embedded clause, whereas full propositional
complements (e.g., complements of think, say, know) obligatorily
follow the matrix verb. In RSL, complement clauses are further
differentiated by morphosyntactic features, including subject
agreement marking on the embedded predicate and the use of an overt
complementizer. Both RSL and NGT conform to the Implicational
Complementation Hierarchy (Wurmbrand and Lohninger 2023), supporting
its applicability across modalities.
Relative clause constructions similarly reveal both shared and
language-specific patterns. In both languages, the indexical sign IX
can introduce a relative clause, occurring either clause-initially or
clause-finally; double exponence of the relative sign is also
attested. RSL may additionally employ the relativizer which, which
displays a comparable distribution. A notable contrast emerges in the
positioning of the head noun: while RSL exhibits a wide range of head
positions within the complex construction, NGT shows a strong tendency
for the head noun to appear in the first clause, although the exact
analysis of NGT relative clauses remains pending.

Linguistic Field(s): Syntax

Subject Language(s): Dutch Sign Language (dse)
                     Russian Sign Language (rsl)




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