![Sign language interpreter](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Sign_language_interpreter.jpg)
In
sign language
Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...
s, orientation () is the distinctive relative degree of rotation of the hand when signing. Orientation is one of five components of a sign, along with
handshape
In sign languages, handshape, or dez, refers to the distinctive configurations that the hands take as they are used to form words. In Stokoe terminology it is known as the , an abbreviation of ''designator''. Handshape is one of five components ...
(),
location
In geography, location or place are used to denote a region (point, line, or area) on Earth's surface or elsewhere. The term ''location'' generally implies a higher degree of certainty than ''place'', the latter often indicating an entity with an ...
(),
movement (), and
nonmanual features.
See also
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American Sign Language grammar
The grammar of American Sign Language (ASL) is the best studied of any sign language, though research is still in its infancy, dating back only to William Stokoe in the 1960s.
Morphology
ASL morphology is to a large extent iconic. This show ...
References
Sign language
{{sign-lang-stub