Non-Manual Markers are composed of which elements?

• A. Facial expressions and body movement
• B. Handshape and movement
• C. Speed and size
• D. Eye color and brightness

Answer: (A)

Non-manual markers are composed of facial expressions and body movement. In ASL, these elements—eyebrow position, eye gaze, mouth shapes, and head or shoulder movements—work with the hands to convey grammar and nuance. They indicate sentence type (such as yes/no versus wh- questions), show negation or emphasis, and mark topic or focus, helping to clarify meaning that hand signs alone might not convey. For example, raised eyebrows and a forward head tilt often signal a yes/no question, while different brow positions or slight head tilts can mark a wh-question or conditional phrase, and shoulder shifts can indicate topic-comment structure. The other options mix aspects that are manual or irrelevant to the linguistic system, so they don’t capture how ASL uses non-manual cues to convey meaning.