3.2. Verbs

Verbs in Spanish Sign Language (LSE) form a productive and open class that incorporates new elements according to the needs of signers. Some verbs share a form with a related noun, such as EAT and FOOD or DRIVE and CAR (Herrero Blanco, 2009, pp. 139–145, 266).

In LSE, we distinguish verb classes commonly found in sign languages. These were originally described by Padden (1988) for American Sign Language (ASL) [MORPHOLOGY 3.1. Agreement]. In GramLSE, we specify them as follows:

  • Plain verbs. These do not change form to show agreement, though they can be modified to indicate aspect (whether an action repeats, lasts longer, etc.).
  • Agreement verbs. These change form to agree with their arguments, which can be subject and/or object. This category includes spatial verbs, which change form to indicate locations associated with location arguments.

When looking up an LSE verb in a dictionary, it typically appears in its neutral or basic form (without markers for person, aspect, etc.).

Costello, B. and Villameriel García, S. (2023). Lexicon: parts of speech: verbs. In S. Villameriel García (Ed.), Gramática de la Lengua de Signos Española (GramLSE) / Grammar of Spanish Sign Language (GramLSE). Real Patronato sobre Discapacidad-Centro de Normalización Lingüística de la Lengua de Signos Española. Retrieved Month DD, YYYY, from https://cnlse.es/es/recursos/gramlse/ingles/index/lexicon/chapter-3-parts-of-speech/3-2-verbs