A PostScript version of this abstract is also available. Locus Agreement in American Sign Language. In Lexical and Constructional Aspects of Linguistic Explanation, ed.
Some signs maintain the same general handshape and location throughout the articulation of the sign.
Any sign with path movement necessarily involves movement from one location to another. This change of location by path movement is an inherent property of many agreement verbs, as will be discussed further below. Before looking at the verbal system of ASL, it is important to understand how nominals are set up in space. There is a particular class of ASL verbs, called agreement verbs, which make use of the association between NPs and distinct locations. Subject and object information can also be distinguished by differences in the location of the verb.