ASL’s grammatical structure relies heavily on which aspects of the signer's body language?

The grammatical structure of American Sign Language (ASL) significantly relies on facial expressions and eye gaze, which serve as crucial elements in conveying meaning and grammatical nuances. Face expressions can indicate a range of emotions, questions, emphasis, or negation, while eye gaze helps to establish directionality, focus, and engagement with the interlocutor. For instance, raising the eyebrows can signify a question, and maintaining eye contact ensures that the conversation flows and indicates attentiveness.

Understanding this aspect of ASL is essential for signers to express complex ideas and emotions adequately. Unlike spoken languages that rely on vocal inflections for tone, ASL utilizes visual cues provided by the face and eyes to enhance communication effectively.