2.2.4. Noun-verb pairs: mouthing
In LSC, some noun-verb pairs seem to use mouthing as a way to distinguish nouns from verbs [MORPHOLOGY 2.1.2.1]. Most of the verbs that are body-anchored, for instance, do not allow for strategies like a longer duration of the sign or more repetitions in order to differentiate nouns from verbs. Therefore, in this noun-verb pairs, there is a tendency of using the correspondent word in the closest spoken language to make the distinction. The mouthing displayed in these signs can be either the complete word or just part of it for both nouns and verbs. Some examples are wound, play, death, or surprise.
play
(recreated from Ribera, 2015: 110)
It is important to notice, though, that this strategy is attested just as a tendency. This means that it is not systematic and can vary across signers. In fact, some noun-verb pairs may display mouthing also in the verb. Moreover, among the signs that use mouthing for the purpose of distinguishing nouns from verbs there are some that are not body-anchored like, for instance, chair.