Non-Manual Markers
Each arena, whether business, education, or ministry, has its own lingo. In the study of American Sign Language (ASL), one of the terms is Non-Manual Markers, abbreviated NMMs. That’s often misheard as MnM’s, even nicknamed as such from time to time. Sad to say, they have nothing to do with chocolate.
The closest English equivalent would be inflection. Unless monotone or computer-generated, each statement has specific patterns of tone and intensity to tell the listener(s) whether the content is a question, command, or comment. Inflection can also indicate whether someone is giving an announcement or sharing a guarded secret — it’s in the volume, of course, but also in a special tone that says “just between us.”
Somewhere in the intermediate level of learning ASL in a classroom, students will get a list of about 30 of these. Here’s a short list:
- very recent or very close
- negate, or the opposite of what the hands are saying
- question
- change in speaker or point of view
- time, as in long past, recent past, now, soon, and long future
Come to think of it, vocal English also has some NMMs, like the twinkle in your eye when speaking playfully to someone, or the twist of a face when speaking sarcastically. Moms use them a lot, offering intensity in the eyes that says much more than the lilt of the voice. How many meanings can you create from the following phrases?
- How did that get in there?
- Time for bed.
- She’s hungry.
- Well, Happy Birthday.
- I don’t think so.
Pay attention to your interactions for a few days. Notice that there’s a lot more to the language you use than what can be found in a dictionary.