2.2.1. Diminutive and augmentative
Non-manual markers that express the meanings diminutive and augmentative are also the lexical non-manuals of the adjectives small and big, respectively. When they are co-articulated with a manually signed noun, they add these meanings to it.
In other words, if the non-manuals of the lexical sign
small_ball
If the non-manuals of the lexical sign
bıg_ball
In these cases, the noun also undergoes a manual change: the signer signs it smaller or bigger. In the examples above, in addition to the different the non-manual markers, the sign ball is signed smaller in the diminutive example and bigger in the augmentative example.
The augmentative non-manual markers, widened eyes and raised eyebrows, can also be accompanied by the mouth gesture ‘bzz’. Again, the manual sign is signed bigger, as shown with the sign big_cup in the example below.
bıg_cup