Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
117 results found in Communication.
- Gricean maxims (Conversational maxims, Cooperative principle)
- A set of principles proposed by philosopher Paul Grice that describe the implicit rules governing cooperative conversation: quantity (be informative but not over-informative), quality (be truthful), r…
- High-Tech AAC (Electronic AAC, Speech-Generating Device)
- Augmentative and alternative communication systems that use electronic or digital technology to support communication, including speech-generating devices, tablets with AAC software, smartphones with …
- Icon-Based Communication (Symbol-Based Communication, Picture-Based Communication)
- Icon-based communication is a form of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in which users select graphic symbols or icons representing words, phrases, or concepts to construct messages. Th…
- Idiosyncratic Gesture (Personalised Gesture, Idiosyncratic Movement)
- A body-based communicative movement whose form and meaning are specific to one individual (and often to one communication partner), rather than drawn from a shared vocabulary like American Sign Langua…
- Imitation (Embodied Imitation)
- The act of observing and reproducing another person's actions, gestures, or vocalisations. Imitation is a foundational social and developmental skill that supports language acquisition, motor learning…
- Indirect speech act (Indirect request)
- A linguistic utterance whose intended meaning differs from its literal meaning, commonly used in neurotypical communication for politeness or social convention. For example, "Can you pass the salt?" i…
- Information Theory (Shannon Theory, Mathematical Theory of Communication)
- A mathematical framework developed by Claude Shannon in 1948 for quantifying the transmission, processing, and storage of information. Central concepts include entropy (the measure of uncertainty or u…
- Interactional Synchrony
- The coordinated, often unconscious alignment of conversational partners' body postures, gestures, gaze, vocal rhythm, and facial expressions during social interaction. Research in social psychology an…
- Langue des Signes Québécoise (LSQ, Quebec Sign Language)
- The sign language used by the Deaf community in francophone Quebec and in francophone Deaf communities elsewhere in Canada. LSQ is a distinct natural language with its own grammar, lexicon, and cultur…
- Lingraphica
- A commercially available computerized visual communication system designed to help people with aphasia communicate through icon-based sentence construction. Lingraphica provides a vocabulary of purpos…
- Lipreading (Lip reading, Speechreading (narrow sense))
- The practice of understanding spoken language by visually interpreting the movements of a speaker's lips, tongue, teeth, jaw, and facial expression. Lipreading is used by many Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing…
- Literal language processing (Literal interpretation)
- The tendency to interpret language at face value, understanding words and phrases according to their explicit, dictionary meaning rather than inferring implied, figurative, or contextual meanings. Lit…
- Look to Speak
- A free Android application developed by Google Creative Lab that enables people with speech and motor impairments to communicate by selecting images or pre-written phrases using eye movements detected…
- Low-Tech AAC (No-Tech AAC, Unaided AAC)
- Augmentative and alternative communication methods that require no or minimal technology, including communication boards, picture cards, letter boards, eye-pointing frames, sign language, and gestures…
- Minimally Verbal (Minimally Speaking, Non-Speaking, Limited Verbal)
- A term describing individuals who use very few or no spoken words as their primary means of communication, despite potentially having communicative intent. This term is commonly used in autism context…
- Mobile AAC (Smartphone AAC, App-Based AAC)
- Augmentative and alternative communication systems delivered through mainstream mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, rather than dedicated AAC hardware. Mobile AAC applications can signific…
- MobileASL
- A research project from the University of Washington that developed video compression technology enabling real-time, two-way American Sign Language (ASL) video communication on mobile phones. MobileAS…
- Morse Code (Morse Code Input)
- A communication system that encodes text characters as sequences of short signals (dots) and long signals (dashes). Originally developed for telegraphy, Morse code has found significant application in…
- Multichannel Signal (Multi-Channel Signal, Parallel Signal Channels)
- A communication signal that conveys information simultaneously through multiple independent or semi-independent channels. In the context of sign languages, a multichannel signal includes the concurren…
- Multilingual AAC (Multilingual Communication Device)
- Augmentative and alternative communication systems designed to support communication in multiple languages, reflecting the linguistic diversity of users and their communication partners. Multilingual …