Other non-manual signals, articulated by the head, shoulders and torso, may be part of the lexical sign, or fulfill an affective function. An example of the former is the sign just_now, shown in Figure 2.37, where the ipsilateral shoulder is slightly raised:
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just_now |
Figure 2.37. The sign just_now, which is generally accompanied by a raised shoulder.
As for affective non-manuals, the signs for sad (Figure 2.38a) and irritated (Figure 2.38b) are often accompanied by an emotional expression on the face:
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a. sad |
b. irritated |
Figure 2.38. The signs sad (a) and irritated (b), which are generally accompanied by an affective non-manual expression.
It is known that affectual signals may interact with other prosodic signals, but whether these non-manual elements are obligatory, i.e., whether these signs are ungrammatical without the non-manuals, is yet to be studied.