4.1.3. Agreement with the possesor

In Spanish Sign Language (LSE), some possessive pronouns show spatial agreement with the possessor. When the possessor has been associated with a location in the signing space, the possessive pronoun is oriented towards that same location.

For example, the personal pronoun PRO, when used as a possessive, is directed towards the location associated with the possessor.

(1) YESTERDAY MARÍA ISEEleft PROleft DRESS PRETTY (Yesterday I saw María. Her dress was pretty)

In (1), in the noun phrase PROleft DRESS, PROleft is directed towards the location where the possessor MARÍA has been placed.

The same applies to the possessives POS(Q), POS(4) and POS(5) (see SYNTAX. NOUN PHRASE. 4.1.1.1 Attributive possessive pronouns).

(2) JAPANleft FOOD POS(Q)left LIKE (I like japanese food)

In (2), POS(Q)left is directed towards the location associated with JAPAN.

(3) JAPANcentre CULTURE POS(5)centre IRESPECTcentre (I respect Japanese culture)

In (3), POS(5)centre is directed towards the spatial location where JAPAN was signed.

In (3), manual agreement occurs because the possessor, JAPAN, is articulated by means of a sign produced in neutral space. By contrast, if the possessor is represented by a body-anchored sign, spatial agreement does not occur. In body-anchored signs, articulation takes place in contact with a part of the signer's body, or very close to it, such that the body functions as the place of articulation or a stable point of reference. For example, DEAF is a body-anchored sign.

(4) DEAF IDENTITY POS(5)centre IRESPECTcentre (I respect Deaf identity)

In (4), there is no agreement, since DEAF is a sign anchored to the signer's body, while POS(5)centre is directed towards a location in neutral space associated with that body-anchored sign.

In addition to manual agreement, LSE may show non-manual agreement when head tilt and the gaze direction are oriented towards the location associated with the possessor while the possessive pronoun is being articulated.

  gaze to the left  
(5) DEAFleft IDENTITY POS(5)left 

IRESPECTleft (I respect Deaf identity)

In (5), while signing DEAF, the signer tilts their body to the left. Thus, when articulating POS(5)left, the signer directs their gaze towards the location where DEAF was placed, so that non-manual agreement also occurs.

Villameriel García, S. (2026). Syntax: The noun phrase: Possessive phrases: Agreement with the possesor. 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/syntax/chapter-4-the-noun-phrase/4-1-possessive-phrases/4-1-3-agreement-with-the-possesor