The Use of Role Shift with Classifier Constructions in American Sign Language

In my dissertation I examine the interaction between character role shift and the verb system of American Sign Language (ASL). Character role shift, also often referred to as constructed action, refers to the use of a signer's own body to enact the perspective, behavior, and/or experience of a character in their narrative – frequently explicitly marked by the use of non-manual markers such as enactment of the character's facial expression, or by shifting one's eye gaze or torso.Two studies using data elicited from deaf ASL signers reveal several main findings. First, the data supports previous claims that some categories of verbs, specifically classifier constructions, are more amenable to role shift than other kinds of verbs. Secondly, different elements associated with character role shift display different distributions across classifier construction subtypes and contexts. For example, signers are quite particular in their use of facial enactment – using it often with handling classifier constructions, but less with entity classifier constructions and static classifier constructions. On the other hand, use of eye gaze shift is generally robust regardless of type of classifier construction. On the basis of these findings and follow-up analyses, I offer a theoretical analysis of role shift. Broadly, my proposal contends that there are at least two distinct types of role shift that can be distinguished based on form and also structural requirements – each of these types of role shift can be distinguished by the way they each interact with the verbal system of American Sign Language. I end with a discussion of how my results can reframe how we think about gesture and iconic communication.