The Roles of Eye Gaze as Non-Manual Marker in Tanzanian Sign Language

This study examined the roles of eye gaze as a non-manual marker in Tanzanian Sign Language (TSL) among Deaf native signers in Dar es Salaam. Guided by the interpretivism research paradigm, the study adopted a qualitative research approach and employed a descriptive research design. The participants comprised fifteen Deaf individuals who are native users of TSL. Data in this study were collected through in-depth interviews and supplemented with free conversations and document review for the purpose of triangulation. The findings obtained revealed that eye gaze plays significant roles at both lexical and grammatical levels in TSL. At the lexical level, eye gaze functions as part of a sign phoneme, contributing to the formation and distinction of individual signs. Grammatically, eye gaze is used to establish reference and directionality by pointing to addressees or characters during narration. Furthermore, the study found that eye gaze serves as an important marker of tense in TSL. The signer gazes aside to indicate the distant past, gazes ahead or downward to express the present, and gazes upward to mark future events. The study concludes that eye gaze is an integral linguistic feature in TSL, carrying both semantic and grammatical meanings that are essential for effective communication. -Note: This talk has not gone through a process of peer review, and findings should therefore be treated as preliminary and subject to change. -Acknowledgement and citation: Gamba, Daudi & Julius Taji. 2026.  The Roles of Eye Gaze as Non-Manual Marker in Tanzanian Sign Language.  Talk given at the Rift Valley Network Webinar Series. 24/06/2026.