ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I discuss several aspects of the so-called role shifting or shifting reference system in ASL. I concentrate on an analysis of the shift itself, arguing that it takes a particular structural position and has a specified structural complement. I also focus on the change in reference for certain pronouns that accompanies this shift. Specifically, the pronoun glossed ‘1PRONOUN’, which usually has first-person reference, changes its reference in the context of referential shift. My discussion does not shed much light on the various conditions under which referential shift is used, but it is hoped that a more detailed analysis of these conditions will be facilitated by the arguments presented here.
