| dc.description.abstract | This study is an attempt to identify and
describe the various sentence types of the Kenya
Sign Language (KSL) using structuralist approach.
After giving some background information on
the language and the elements of sign language,
(SL) structure in chapter one and two, we identify
the sentence types in KSL.
We then proceed to analyse the syntactic
structure of each type. The types identified
and analysed are Declaratives, Asserted Declaratives
statements, interrogatives sentences:
Yes/No questions, wh-questions, conditional
statements, Topicalization, Imperative sentences
and Rhetorical sentences.
We also show that the declarative sentence,
is the most basic type. We proceed to discuss
how the non-manual grammatical markers (NGMs)
play an important syntactical role in determining
the modality of manualy formed construction
of different sentence types. We have observed
that the word-sign order remains the same as the
declaratives but the NGMs vary.
the NGMs identified and used in this study
are 'q' 'neg', 'nod' 'wh-q', It', 'cond', 'Imp',
and 'rhet-q'.
On the whole our work shows that the
aforementioned NGMs form an important part of
descriptive tools for the analysis of KSL sentences. | en |
