Classifiers

Abstract

This chapter discusses the classifier predicates from a formal semantic perspective. It summarizes the theoretical approaches towards analyzing sign language classifiers and the types of predicates they occur in. In spoken languages, the term ‘classifier’ refers to morphemes, free or bound, for noun categorization based on “some salient perceived or imputed characteristics of the entity to which an associated noun refers”. While some researchers attempt to propose to account for the morphosyntactic properties of classifiers and the argument structure they are associated with by means of an agreement analysis, other researchers caution against adopting such an approach, arguing that there is a strong gestural and iconic element with these constructions – hence they do not warrant a fully grammatical treatment. One typical function of classifiers in natural languages is to classify objects according to a set of properties which are usually semantic in nature.

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