The sublexical structure of a sign language

Brito, Lucinda Ferreira; Langevin, Rémi

Mathématiques informatique et sciences humaines, Tome 125 (1994), pp. 17-40.

Analyser et transcrire une langue de signes est une tache difficile puisque ce mode d’expression, mouvement des mains dans un espace situé près du corps, complété par des attitudes et des expressions faciales, est a priori moins séquentiel que la parole. Notre travail vise à compléter les nombreuses tentatives antérieures, et s’appuie en particulier sur le dictionnaire de Stokoe. En analysant le mouvement d’un repère attaché à une main comme le mouvement d’un point dans $R^3\times SO\left(3\right)$ nous parvenons à discrétiser de manière naturelle les gestes les plus fréquents de la [LSCB] ou LIBRAS, Brazilian Cities Sign Language. Ce travail permet un premier classement de type alphabétique des signes de la LSCB et donc la constitution d’un premier dictionnaire LSCB $\to$ Portuguais par L. Ferreira Brito et son équipe.

Analyzing and transcribing a sign language is a difficult task since the mode of expression - hand movements in a space located close to the body, complemented by attitudes and facial expressions - is a priori less sequential than speech. Our work aims to complete numerous previous attempts and uses in particular Stokoe’s system. Analysing the movement of a frame attached to the hand as the movement of a point in $R^3\times SO\left(3\right)$ we manage to discretize in a natural way the most frequent gestures of the [LSCB] or LIBRAS, the Brazilian Cities Sign Language. This work allows a first classification of alphabetical type of LSCB signs. L. Ferreira Brito and her group are writing the first dictionnary [LSCB] $\to$ Portuguese using this system.

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