Classifier constructions in TİD |

How do classifier constructions combine rich visual representation with structured grammatical relations? These constructions play a central role in my research program, as studying them has directly shaped the broader questions I pursue across my work.

This project investigates the morphosyntactic properties of classifier constructions in Turkish Sign Language (TİD), including how arguments are introduced, how features are distributed across one or two hands, and how different classifier types interact with event structure.

More broadly, the project asks how visually iconic elements are organized by grammar, and how classifier constructions can inform theories of argument structure, event representation, and the relation between depiction and linguistic form.

(Sevgi, 2024) (Sevgi, 2026)

References

2026

Manner Modification Across Modalities: Insights from Gesture, Sign, and Spoken Language

Hande Sevgi

Harvard University, 2026

Bib

@phdthesis{sevgi2026dissertation,
  author = {Sevgi, Hande},
  title = {Manner Modification Across Modalities: Insights from Gesture, Sign, and Spoken Language},
  school = {Harvard University},
  year = {2026},
}

2024

One Root to Build Them All: Roots in Sign Language Classifiers

Hande Sevgi

In Proceedings of the West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, 2024

Bib

@inproceedings{sevgi2024oneroot,
  author = {Sevgi, Hande},
  title = {One Root to Build Them All: Roots in Sign Language Classifiers},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics},
  editor = {Autry, Robert and de la Cruz Sanchez, Gabriela and Irizarry Figueroa, Luis A. and Mihajlovic, Kristina and Ni, Tianyi and Smith, Ryan and Harley, Heidi},
  volume = {39},
  number = {2},
  pages = {393--400},
  year = {2024},
}