Adjectives within adjectival phrases can be modified not only by intensive or approximative modifiers (SYNTAX 5.1.2), but also by qualitative modifiers such as those specifying the shade of colour adjectives. Again, manual and/or non-manual strategies can be used. For example, different shades of red can be conveyed. A bright shade can be expressed by articulating the sign red with raised eyebrows and wide-open eyes (a), or by adding a manual modifier such as bright, marked by the same non-manuals (b).
re
we
a. red
‘Bright red’
re
we
b. red bright
A dark shade of red can be expressed by articulating the sign red with furrowed eyebrows and squint eyes (a), or by adding a manual modifier such as dark, marked by the same non-manuals (b).
sq
fe
a. red
‘Dark red’
sq
fe
b. red dark
‘Dark red’
Other non-manual and manual modifiers that can combine with colour adjectives are those conveying attenuative meaning. For more details, see MORPHOLOGY 2.1.1.3 and MORPHOLOGY 2.1.2.2.
It is worth noting that, for each kind of modification, non-manual and manual modifiers are not in complementary distribution. Indeed, they can be combined together to reinforce the intended meaning (brightness, darkness, or attenuation).