Sign language is a visual language, so the core parts are:
* Handshapes: These are the specific shapes your hand makes to convey different meanings. There are hundreds of different handshapes in sign language.
* Sign locations: Where you position your hand in space to convey meaning. Some signs are signed near your face, others near your chest, and others in open space.
* Movement: How your hands move to create meaning. Some signs are simple, like a flick of the wrist, while others are more complex, involving multiple movements.
* Facial expressions and body language: These play a crucial role in conveying meaning, nuances, and grammar in sign language. They can indicate things like tense, agreement, negation, and emphasis.
In addition to these core elements, there are other important aspects of sign language:
* Non-manual markers (NMMs): These are facial expressions, head movements, and body postures that help to clarify meaning and grammar.
* Sign order: The order in which signs are made can change the meaning of a sentence, just like word order does in spoken languages.
* Fingerspelling: A system used to spell out words letter by letter.
* Regional variations: Like spoken languages, sign languages can vary from region to region.
Therefore, it's not accurate to say there are only four parts of sign language. It's a complex visual language with many interworking components.