Facial expressions in Auslan: why signing is more than your hands

Your face is part of the grammar

In spoken English, you change meaning with your tone of voice. In Auslan, non-manual features do some of that grammatical work. Johnston and Schembri describe yes/no questions as using raised eyebrows with a forward head tilt, while content questions use different features, including furrowed brows. Facial expression and body movement can also modify or add meaning to manual signs.

What counts as a non-manual feature

• Eyebrows: marking questions, emphasis and conditionals.
• Mouth shapes: some signs require a specific mouth pattern to be correct.
• Head and body movement: tilts and shifts that signal topic, comparison or who is speaking.
• Eye gaze: directing attention and showing who or what you’re referring to.

Why this trips up beginners

Many people learn the handshapes first and feel self-conscious about using their face. But signing with a flat expression can come across as unclear or even rude, in the same way a monotone voice would. Using facial expression is one of the fastest ways to look more natural and be understood, which is why it’s on our list of common beginner mistakes. It’s also a big part of why the myth that “you only need your hands” is so misleading.

Frequently asked questions

Do facial expressions really matter in Auslan?

Yes, they're essential. In Auslan, the face, eyebrows, mouth and eye gaze are part of the grammar, not just emotion. The same handshape can mean different things depending on the expression that goes with it, so signing without facial expression can be unclear or even change your meaning.

What are non-manual features?

Non-manual features (NMFs) are meaningful movements that do not use the hands, including movements of the eyebrows, eyes, mouth, head and body. They can carry grammatical information: for example, raised eyebrows and a forward head tilt can mark a yes/no question in Auslan.

How do I practise facial expressions when learning Auslan?

Watch native signers closely and copy the whole picture: face and body, not just hands. Practising in front of a mirror or camera helps you notice whether your expression matches your message. Video lessons from fluent signers are far more useful than static charts for this.

Sources and further reading

The factual claims in this guide were checked against the following community, government and research sources.

• A brief guide to Auslan — Victorian Department of Education and Training
• Auslan glossary: questions and non-manual features — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
• Australian Sign Language (Auslan): An introduction to sign language linguistics — Johnston & Schembri, Cambridge University Press (2007)
• Mouth-based non-manual coding schema used in the Auslan corpus — Johnston & van Roekel, LREC (2014)

Keep learning