Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
88 results found in sign language.
- Facial Expression Recognition (FER, Facial Action Recognition)
- Computer vision technology that detects and classifies facial expressions from images or video. In sign language contexts, facial expression recognition is essential for capturing non-manual signs — t…
- Fingerspelling (Manual alphabet, Dactylology)
- A method of spelling out words letter by letter using hand shapes, used within sign languages to represent proper nouns, technical terms, or words that lack a dedicated sign. Each letter of the writte…
- Group Narrative (Collaborative Storytelling, Co-Signing Performance)
- A collaborative storytelling activity deeply rooted in Deaf culture and communities where two or more signers jointly perform a story using sign language, often with exaggerated and creative expressio…
- HamNoSys (Hamburg Notation System)
- A phonetic transcription system designed to represent the form of signs in any sign language. Developed at the University of Hamburg, HamNoSys captures detailed information about hand movements, hands…
- Handshape (Hand Configuration, Handform)
- One of the five fundamental parameters of sign language phonology, referring to the specific configuration or shape of the hand(s) when producing a sign. Handshapes are a primary way signs are disting…
- Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL)
- Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) is the primary sign language used by the deaf and hard of hearing community in Hong Kong. It has its own distinct grammar and linguistic rules that differ significantly …
- Hybrid Search (Hybrid sign-language search)
- A sign-language dictionary search pattern that combines search-by-video (a user performs the sign into a camera for sign recognition to match) with search-by-feature (manual filtering of the candidate…
- Inflecting Verb (Spatial Verb, Agreement Verb, Directional Verb)
- A category of sign language verbs that change their movement path, direction, or orientation based on the spatial locations associated with their subject and object. In American Sign Language, verbs l…
- Irish Sign Language (ISL, Teanga Chomharthaíochta na hÉireann)
- The indigenous sign language of the Deaf community in Ireland, distinct from both English and Irish (Gaelic) spoken languages and from British Sign Language (BSL). Like all sign languages, ISL uses ma…
- Isolated Sign Recognition (ISR, ISLR)
- A computer vision and machine learning task focused on identifying individual signs from video recordings where each video contains a single sign production, as opposed to continuous sign language rec…
- Japanese Sign Language (JSL, Nihon Shuwa)
- The primary sign language used by the Deaf community in Japan. Japanese Sign Language (JSL) is a distinct natural language with its own grammar, vocabulary, and syntax that differs significantly from …
- Kenyan Sign Language (KSL)
- The primary sign language used by the deaf community in Kenya, recognized as a national language in Kenya's 2010 Constitution. KSL has its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary distinct from spoken Kisw…
- Key Word Signing (KWS, Keyword Signing, Signs Supporting English)
- An augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) method that uses manual signs from a national sign language alongside spoken words to support communication. Unlike native sign language, KWS users …
- Korean Sign Language (KSL, Suhwa)
- The primary sign language of the Deaf community in South Korea, with its own grammar, vocabulary, and regional variation, and legally recognized as an official language of Korea under the Korean Sign …
- Landmark Extraction (Keypoint Detection, Skeletal Tracking)
- A computer vision technique that identifies and tracks specific anatomical points (landmarks or keypoints) on the human body, hands, and face from images or video. In sign language technology, landmar…
- Languaging
- A sociolinguistic concept that reframes language as an ongoing activity rather than a fixed system. Developed by scholars including Alastair Pennycook and Li Wei, languaging treats communication as th…
- Lexical NMS (Lexical Non-Manual Sign)
- Non-manual signs that are an integral part of a specific sign's production, required to distinguish it from other signs that share the same manual component. For example, the ASL sign for "NOT YET" in…
- Libras (Brazilian Sign Language, Língua Brasileira de Sinais)
- The official sign language of the Deaf community in Brazil, recognized by Brazilian federal law (Law No. 10.436/2002) as a legitimate means of communication and expression. Libras has its own grammar,…
- MPEG-4 Facial Action Parameter (MPEG-4 FAP, FAP, Facial Action Parameter, ISO/IEC 14496-2 facial animation)
- A standard for 3D face animation defined in ISO/IEC 14496-2 (MPEG-4), which parameterises a face through 68 feature points whose displacements (scaled relative to the character's own facial proportion…
- Makaton
- A language programme that uses a combination of speech, signs (borrowed from British Sign Language), and graphic symbols to support communication for people who have difficulty with spoken language. U…