Distributional properties of an agreement marker in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS)

Abstract This study focuses on the distribution ofagrm-bc, one of two agreement markers used in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS; Krebs, Julia, Ronnie B. Wilbur & Dietmar Roehm. 2017. Two agreement markers in ÖGS.Sign Language and Linguistics20(1). 27–54), with respect to different “verb types”. Using an online questionnaire, ÖGS signers rated ÖGS sentences involving different verb types that varied in whether they show agreement with their arguments (“agreeing” with two arguments, “plain” with none or only one) and if so, how (movement from subject to object, backwards from object to subject and/or facing towards object). Thus, the verbs differ in the degree and form of expressing agreement. In addition, these verbs either appeared with or withoutagrm-bc. Data analysis revealed that the combination of inflected agreeing verbs and the agreement marker (“double agreement”) is acceptable in ÖGS. If the verb itself does not indicate full agreement (i.e., as in plain verbs)agrm-bccan, but does not have to, be used to indicate the argument structure. Independently, whether the verb showed full agreement marking (movement and facing) or only facing did not influence the acceptability of the occurrence ofagrm-bc. The relatively high ratings for the combination ofagrm-bcwith different verb types suggests thatagrm-bcfunctions as a general agreement marker in ÖGS.