c/c_American Sign Language (ASL)_Grade 12_Signes non manuels

Non-manual signals (NMS) are parts of a sign that are not signed on the hands (e.g., ASL adverbs made by eyes and eyebrows; ASL adjectives made using the mouth, tongue, and lips). For this level, non-manual signals include but are not limited to:

• facial expression matching the meaning and content of what is signed (e.g., mad, angry, very angry)
• conveying “tone of voice” while signing
• mouth morpheme: “cha” (big), “fish” (finish), “diff-diff-diff” (different), “pah” (finally, tends to), “pow” (suddenly)
• head nod/shake
• WH-face (eyebrows down for a WH question, shoulders up, head tilted slightly)
• shoulder shift/contrastive structure/spatial organization
• eye gaze: must be used with deixis (pointing)
• distance signals: eyes open wide, cheek to shoulder, mouth open, teeth/tongue
• nose twitch