NSSCO Namibian Sign Language 6107 key terms

Facial expressions, head movements, mouth patterns, eye gaze and body shifts that carry grammatical meaning in signing, such as marking questions, negation, conditionals or relative clauses.

A specific mouth shape or movement that adds adverbial or descriptive meaning to a sign, for example signalling that an action is done slowly, carefully or with effort.

The area in front of the signer's body where signs are produced and where referents can be placed, moved and related to each other spatially during a signed text.

A point in signing space assigned to a person, object or place so that later pointing or verb movement can refer back to it without repeating the noun.

The system in which locations, directions and movements of signs encode grammatical relationships such as who does what to whom, possession, and relative position.

A handshape that represents a category of object or how it is handled or moved, used to show shape, size, location or action rather than naming a specific item.

A verb whose movement and handshape directly show how an action is performed or how an object moves, rather than using an arbitrary fixed form.

A change in body posture, head position or eye gaze used to show that the signer is now speaking or acting as a character rather than as the narrator.

Taking on the identity of a person or character in a narrative through shifts of body, gaze and facial expression, so reported speech or action is shown directly.

Reported speech presented as if it were happening now, with the signer embodying the original speaker, including that speaker's facial expression and manner.

A common signed sentence pattern in which the topic is established first, often with raised eyebrows and a slight pause, and the comment about it follows.

A question signed by the signer but not expecting an answer from the audience; it is used to introduce or connect a new point in a text.

A headshake, frown or other non-manual signal, alone or combined with a negative sign, that turns a signed statement into a negative one.

A non-manual pattern that signals a question, such as raised eyebrows and forward head tilt for yes/no questions or lowered brows for wh-questions.

A facial or bodily modification of a sign that expresses manner, degree or intensity, such as showing that an action was done quickly, gently or repeatedly.

Producing words letter by letter using handshapes of the manual alphabet, typically for names, place names, acronyms and words without an established sign.

A fingerspelled sequence that has become a fixed sign with its own reduced, fluent form and stable meaning, rather than being read letter by letter each time.

A sign whose handshape is taken from the first letter of a written word, often used to create or distinguish technical vocabulary in a signed language.

A sign borrowed from another signed language or adapted from a spoken-language word, often reshaped to fit the phonology and grammar of the borrowing sign language.

Building a number into the form of a sign, for example showing a quantity of days, weeks or people by changing the handshape or movement rather than adding a separate number sign.

A sign representing a number, used in counting, giving quantities, telling time, stating prices or identifying dates and ages.

The configuration of the fingers and hand in a sign; it is one of the basic building blocks that distinguishes one sign from another.

The place on or near the body where a sign is made; changing the location can create a different sign or change its grammatical meaning.

The path, direction or repeated action of the hands during a sign, which can distinguish signs and also express grammatical information such as aspect.

The direction the palm faces when a sign is produced; it is a meaningful feature because altering it can change a sign's meaning or make it unclear.

Grammatical information about how an action unfolds over time, such as whether it is repeated, ongoing, completed or habitual, often shown by movement modification.

Two signs that differ in only one feature, such as handshape, location, movement or palm orientation, used to show that the feature is meaningful in the language.

The resemblance between a sign's form and what it refers to, such as a sign that looks like the action it names; iconic signs still follow language-specific conventions.

The principle that the form of many signs and words has no natural resemblance to their meaning, so the link between form and meaning must be learned.

Alternating between a signed language and a spoken language, or between signed varieties, within a conversation depending on topic, audience or setting.

The level of formality or style a signer adopts for a situation, such as formal signing at a ceremony compared with relaxed signing among friends.

The professional responsibility of a sign language interpreter to convey meaning faithfully and impartially, manage turn-taking and maintain confidentiality within the assignment.

A mixed form of communication that arises when deaf and hearing people interact, blending features of a signed language with the grammar and word order of a spoken language.

A group of deaf people who share a signed language, common experiences, values and social networks, and who identify with one another as a cultural group.

The shared beliefs, norms, humour, storytelling traditions, art and history of deaf people, transmitted largely through signed language and visual interaction.

A person's sense of belonging to the Deaf community, shaped by language use, schooling, family background and personal choice about how to describe themselves.

The idea that deafness brings benefits to society, such as visual language skills, visual creativity and new perspectives on communication and design.

A creative signed text that uses rhythm, repetition, handshape patterns, movement and use of space for artistic effect, often with no direct spoken-language equivalent.

A story told in a signed language, typically using role shift, spatial reference, classifiers and facial expression to bring characters and events to life.

A performance style combining sign language, mime, gesture and strong visual imagery to tell stories or create artistic effects for deaf and hearing audiences.