Minor Parameters in American Sign Language

Non-Manual Signals-

This parameter refers to grammatical and semantic features other than hands in ASL.  Lapiak details that Non-Manual Signals (NMS) can include:

• mouth morphemes
• eye gazes
• facial expressions
• body shifting
• head tilting

NMS are essential in ASL.  They are used to modify verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and convey grammatical information such as topicalization, sentence types.  Some signs require NMS in order to be produced correctly.

• example: the signs LATE and NOT-YET both have the same handshape, movement, location, and palm orientation. But, they have a different non-manual marker -
  • NOT-YET requires a mouth morpheme (TH)
  • LATE has no mouth morpheme

Mouth Morphemes-

While there are quite a few categories of NMS, mouth morphemes can be complex and merit extra explanation.  

According to Lapiak, mouth movement or mouthing is part of non-manual grammar in sign language. When a mouth morpheme is used, it conveys an adjective, adverb, or another descriptive meaning in association with an ASL word.  Some signs have a mouth morpheme as part of their production/articulation.  With other signs, mouth morphemes can be a way to show intensity or convey more information.

Lapiak also gave several examples of common mouth morphemes and their uses:

• MM: moderately, normally, average, medium; with ease.
• OO: small, tiny, lightly, slowly. It may mean otherwise in some contexts (e.g. very long in time as in Y-LONG-head).
• CHA: very big, very large, gigantic, very tall.
• AAH: far. It can be another meaning in some contexts (e.g. LONG-WAIT-cont).
• CS: very close; with effort or struggle.
• TH: carelessly, foolishly, distractedly; melting. E.g.: melting (eg. snow, ice, chocolate), nothing (in some contexts), sticky as in glue (sometimes), sloppy, careless (in some contexts).
• PUFF-cheek: fluffy, bubbly, and few other meanings. 
• Puckered lips: leisurely, deliberately. 
• MA (if not PAH): tend-to.

For a more in-depth look at mouth morphemes this video, featuring  Kevin Struxness, gives a detailed look at many mouth morphemes and give examples of them in use (DeBee, 2014):

Points of Contact-

This parameter refers to precisely where the contact is made on the body or non-dominant hand during a sign (for those signs that do make contact).  

Contact can be made in a variety of locations:

• non-dominant hand or palm
• face
• head (front, side, back, top)
• arm
• torso
• neck

Some examples of signs with differences in point of contact are (Sprinkle, 2022): 

• Deaf and Dorm
• Girl and Everyday
• Puzzle and Summer

Hand Arrangement-

This parameter refers to how the hands are arranged in respect to each other.  This parameter is further explained via Robbin Battison's 5 Typology of Signs (Cokely & Baker-Shenk, 1997).

Battison's Typology of Signs includes:

• Type 0 – one-handed signs articulated in free space without contact (NEED)

• Type X – one-handed signs which contact the body in any place but not the opposite hand (HOME)

• Type 1 – two-handed signs in which both hands are active and perform identical motor acts; the hands may or may not contact each other, they may or may not contact the body, and they may be in either a synchronous or alternating pattern of movement (HEALTH)

• Type 2 – two-handed signs in which one  hand is active and the other hand is passive, but both hands are specified for the same handshape. (FAR)

• Type 3 – two-handed signs in which one hand is active and one is passive, and the two hands have different handshapes. (READ)

Battison's Typology relates back to several parameters including movement, location, handshapes and point of contact. 

This parameter also categorizes types in respect to hand arrangement:

• whether signs are 1 or 2 handed  
• if hands are active or passive
• if handshapes are the same or different
• if movements are synchronous or in alternating patterns
• if the hands perform identical motor actions (movements)
• if contact is made between the signers 2 hands

The below video offers a simple explanation of Battison's Typology of Signs and gives an example of each type (Sprinkle, 2022):