Sentence types in Kenyan sign language: a structuralist approach

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.