Recent research on the syntax of signed languages has revealed that, apart from some modality-specific differences, signed languages are organized according to the same underlying principles as spoken languages. This book addresses the organization and distribution of functional categories in American Sign Language (ASL), focusing on tense, agreement, and wh-constructions.

Signed languages provide illuminating evidence about functional projections of a kind unavailable in the study of spoken languages. Along with manual signing, crucial information is expressed by specific movements of the face and upper body. The authors argue that such nonmanual markings are often direct expressions of abstract syntactic features. The distribution and intensity of these markings provide information about the location of functional heads and the boundaries of functional projections. The authors show how evidence from ASL is useful for evaluating a number of recent theoretical proposals on, among other things, the status of syntactic agreement projections and constraints on phrase structure and the directionality of movement. 
 

1 Introduction 
1.1 Organization of the Book 
1.2 Reporting of Data 
1.3 Theoretical Backdrop

2 Methodological Considerations 
2.1 Introduction 
2.2 Sociolinguistic Context 
2.3 Data Collection 
2.4 Transcription and Analysis of Data 
2.5 Data Dissemination 
2.6 Chapter Summary

3 Language in the Visual Modality 
3.1 Introduction 
3.2 Articulation of Signs 
3.3 Spatial Representation of Linguistic Information 
3.4 Uses of Nonmanual Markings 
3.5 Conclusions

4 Delimiting CP 
4.1 Introduction 
4.2 Common Clause-External Constructions 
4.3 Word Order and Hierarchical Structure 
4.4 Chapter Sumamry

5 Tense and Agreement in the Clause 
5.1 Introduction 
5.2 Agreement 
5.3 Tense 
5.4 The Hierarchical Structure of the ASL Clause 
5.5 Chapter Summary

6 Determiners and Agreement in DP 
6.1 Introduction 
6.2 Determiners 
6.3 Possessive Constructions 
6.4 Agreement 
6.5 Chapter Summary

7 Wh-Questions 
7.1 Introduction 
7.2 The Case for Rightward Wh-Movement in ASL 
7.3 Agreements and Disagreements about the Data 
7.4 Alternative Accounts in Terms of Leftward Wh-Movement 
7.5 Conclusions

8 Conclusions 
8.1 Findings Counter to Prior Claims about ASL 
8.2 Findings Consistent with Other Theoretical Results 
8.3 Findings That Shed Light on Current Theoretical Debates 
8.4 Closing Thoughts

Appendix Notational Conventions 
A.1 Representation of Manual Signs 
A.2 Use of Indices and Related Diacritics 
A.3 Specific Manual Signs Important to This Work 
A.4 Nonmanual Markings 
A.5 Dominant versus Nondominant Hand and Marking of Perseveration

Carol Neidle is Associate Professor of Linguistics at Boston University. Judy Kegl is Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Southern Maine. Dawn MacLaughlin is a Research Associate in Linguistics at Boston University. Benjamin Bahan is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Deaf Studies, with a joint appointment in ASL, Linguistics, and Interpretation, at Gallaudet University. Robert G. Lee is a doctoral student at Boston University and a certified ASL-English interpreter.

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