Case marking in sign languages?

[ingeborg]

In NGT (Sign Language of the Netherlands) no overt case marking on nouns or
verbs can be found. Except for a genitive marking in the pronoun system (a
flat B-handshape, palm oriented to the locus of the possessor) that is
optional!! As far as I know, this handshape can be used by all speakers of
NGT to refer to genitive case. But again, it is optional and often the
pointing finger is used (as in all other cases). The case-marked spoken
form is often present in these cases but not obligatory, I think.
In Dutch overt case marking can only be found in the pronominal system (and
in some archaic expressions on adjectives and nouns).

Best,
Ingeborg

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Ingeborg van Gijn
Department of General Linguistics
University of Amsterdam
Spuistraat 210
1012 VT  Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)20 525 3107
Fax: +31 (0)20 525 3021
E-mail: ingeborg at hum.uva.nl
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