Aspetti morfo-sintattici delle lingue dei segni cinese e taiwanese. Relazioni grammaticali e ordine dei segni

Word order is a cornerstone of all synctactic analyses in linguistics, because of its important function in indicating the subject-object relationship. It has often been observed that sign order is relatively free both in Chinese Sign Language and in Taiwan Sign Language. The purpose of this study is to find out how grammatical relations are marked in these languages, and how constituents are ordered in simple, declarative sentences. In order to attain this goal, an outline of the research achievements in this field is offered, and a fresh analysis is tentatively put forth.