Prominence in action: The competition for argument-marking in German Sign Language (DGS) (B09)

• Subject Area: Individual Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 281511265

In phase III of this project, we deepen and refine our understanding of the multidimensionality of prominence and the inventory of morphosyntactic prominence cues in DGS (German Sign Language). We investigate the constraints on both subject-marking and object-marking in terms of prominence relations, including a focus on argument omission. In addition, we investigate how the different layers of representation achieved through perspective choice in constructed action contribute to prominence and how the length of stretches of discourse bounded by a particular perspective influence prominence relations.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1252: Prominence in Language
• Applicant Institution: Universität zu Köln
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Pamela Perniss