Abstract

PEREZ HERNANDEZ, Yolanda. Conversation connectors among hearing-impaired people in venezuelan sign language: the “y” (and) case. Letras [online]. 2013, vol.55, n.89, pp.89-111. ISSN 0459-1283.

In the last decades of the 20^th century, the progress derived from diverse disciplines made it possible to study phenomena that occur in the face-to-face discourse. Such is the case of discourse markers. An inquiry of these units, in the realm of Linguistics of Sign Language, is scarce; hence the need to conduct research about the use of markers in semi-structured conversations in Venezuelan Sign Language among hearing-impaired people. In this article, an interpretation of the functions that “Y” (and) play as a connector is presented. The study is grounded on the definition of markers offered by Domínguez (2005), as well as on the classification proposed by Martín Zorraqino and Portolés (1999). This is a qualitative study that considers a sample selection stage and an analysis stage. The results provide evidence of the functions and contexts where this connector appears.

Keywords : Venezuelan Sign Language; Linguistics of Sign Language; discourse markers; connectors.