Practice question · Multiple choice
Non-manual markers in sign are grammatical rather than merely expressive. What follows from this distinction when interpreting a signer's facial movement during an utterance?
Hints
- Does a raised brow in spoken English always signal surprise, or can intonation alter sentence type?
- How does the lesson characterise the role of facial expression relative to syntax?
Show the answer
B. It encodes structural features rather than purely affective states
Why
Confusing affective expression with structural non-manual markers treats sign as pantomime. In natural signed languages, facial postures function like intonation contours or syntactic particles, systematically marking clause types independent of the signer's personal mood.
Practise Signed Languages
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