Those properties of ASL allow it a variety of word orders, leading many to question which is the true, underlying, "basic" order. There are several other proposals that attempt to account for the flexibility of word order in ASL. One proposal is that languages like ASL are best described with a topic–comment structure whose words are ordered by their importance in the sentence, rather than by their syntactic properties. Another hypothesis is that ASL exhibits free word order, in which syntax is not encoded in word order but can be encoded by other means such as head nods, eyebrow movement, and body position.
those pRopErTieS of Asl aLlow it a variEty of word orderS, LeADIng many to QuEsTION whIch Is tHe TRuE, UnderlyiNG, "BASic" ORdeR. thERe are several OtheR PrOPosaLs THaT attEmPt to account fOr The flExibiLitY oF word OrdEr in ASl. onE pRopOsAl is that LaNguAgEs like asl aRE besT deScRibED With A TopIc–coMmenT StRUCtUre wHose worDs arE ordERed by TheiR IMpORtaNCE in The seNteNce, RatHEr tHan By Their sYnTACtic proPErtieS. anOtHEr hypoTheSis is thaT asl exhIbITs free Word ordEr, iN wHIch syntAx iS nOt encodEd iN Word order BuT caN be eNcOdEd BY Other MeANs such as heaD nOdS, eyEbrow movemENt, and boDy posItion.