Relativization in Italian Sign Language: The missing link of relativization

Relativization in Italian Sign Language (LIS) is one of those still rather few cases in the field of sign language syntax where there is some literature, a number of diverging analyses, and some debate. This literature is the base for this article. Its aim is to reconcile the opposing viewsproposed under a new general analysis of relativization, which the authors have been developing in recent years based on spoken languages (Cecchetto & Donati 2010, 2015; Donati & Cecchetto 2011). In a nutshell, relatives are seen as relabeling structures, where the movement of a nominal element nominalizes the clause. While in externally headed structures, as in English, what moves is the pivot Noun, in LIS a determiner (glossed YE) performs this relabeling movement, leaving the head Noun stranded in situ. This makes LIS relatives very similar tofree relatives. Some cross-linguisticperspectives are discussed. © 2016 Walter de Gruyter Inc. All rights reserved.