Complete the account of signed language structure.
Two signs differing in exactly one parameter form a ______, which establishes ______ of patterning. Grammatical information carried by the face and head is called ______ marking, and entities can be assigned ______ in the signing space so that verbs move between them.
Word bank: minimal pair · duality · non-manual · locations · iconicity · orientation
Hints
- The first two blanks are the Stokoe argument in two steps.
- The last blank is what makes spatial verb agreement possible.
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Two signs differing in exactly one parameter form a minimal pair, which establishes duality of patterning. Grammatical information carried by the face and head is called non-manual marking, and entities can be assigned locations in the signing space so that verbs move between them.
The spatial system in the last blank is the part with no close spoken analogue: once a referent has been placed at a point in space, the direction of a verb's movement identifies who acted on whom, doing the work of pronouns and case in a way no linear channel easily matches.
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