With Australian Sign Language it is important to know that signs are classified into two main categories – lexical and classifier signs. Lexical signs contain a standard method of hand movement and shape, and their meanings are very specific. Classifier signs, also known as general signs, change meaning depending upon the context in which they are given

Many signs can be further categorised including, but not limited to, pointing signs. The meaning of a sign depends almost entirely upon what is being pointed at, and as such no sensor can detect what the particular hand movement should represent.

The location of signs is not constant. There are many examples (teacher knows / doctor knows) that do not rely upon the hands to be in the same position and may change depending upon the conversation. By a sensory glove these can not be detected, and this project does not attempt to. The shape and movement of the hand as a stand alone element has been looked at rather than its integration into human body movement and sign language interpretation as a whole.

2004-08-21T13:06:33