In learning spoken language, the tone can determine the word's context and emotion. This is done by changing the pitch of the voice while saying the word or shortening its pronunciation. In sign language, small differences in gestures can determine the tone even more than the sign itself. For example, the action of clenching a fist at eye level has a completely different context from raising a closed fist to eye level.
Articulators in language are specific elements of how a word is actually said. For example, learning how to say the syllable "fa" in "father" requires the mouth to initially close then letting a small amount of air come out between the lips. To say the syllable "mo" in "mother" on the other hand, the speaker has to exert air out of his mouth quickly while making his mouth open wide in a fluid motion. In sign language, articulators are determined by level of the body where the gesture is done. For example, saying "father" in sign language requires the gesture to be done on the forehead; "mother" requires the same motion but to be done in the chin area.
Sign language has a grammatical structure unique to itself. Even though a country's sign language uses words that are based on that country's native language, the way they are said in a sentence is completely different. For example, the statement "I have finished my geography homework" is structured using two statements in sign language: "Me homework finish what? Geography." Sign language learners need to distinguish questions and statements separately to properly create sentences and to be aware of the correct subject-object order as well.
A language characteristic unique to sign language is the emphasis of body contact. In spoken language, body movement and contact typically convey emotions such as shock, anger and excitement. In sign language, however, body contact is integral to creating specific words and sentences. For example, to say the word "think," the pointing finger must touch the forehead; it becomes a nonsensical word otherwise. The word "opposite" must start with the two pointing fingers clearly touching each other before separating them.