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After encountering manuscripts where sign glossing created confusion rather than clarity, I began to question whether the glossing of signs is useful in the way we use it currently. In contrast to the relative precision that the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) provides for spoken languages, there are still gaps in how accurately signs are represented, even with recent improvements. To help address this, I developed an experimental “visual glossary” to accompany glossed signs in manuscripts. Want to create one for your own projects? Read on!
Here's what to do:
Here's what to do:
Identify all the sign glosses in your manuscript
Gather all of the signs for these glosses
Convert them from .mov or .mp4 to .gif (optional)
Host these videos/GIFs on a data sharing platform, such as OSF.io or Figshare.com
Format these GIFs to be reader-friendly
Submit the manuscript - you got this!
1. Identify
1. Identify
What signs are glossed in your manuscript?
Make a list of them!
2. Gather
2. Gather
Here are some resources that cast a wide net for online ASL signs (see also Corpora & Lexica)
SignASL.com - an aggregate dictionary that also links to other websites
ASL SignBank - a wordbank for ASL that is also used for standardized annotating of sign language data
For signs that are not available, authors may film someone else signing.
3. Convert
3. Convert
You can use videos or convert them into GIFs. See How to Make GIFs for easy-to-follow guides for effortless viewing with GIFs!
4. Host
4. Host
You can host the videos or GIFs in your personal website, or you can host them on a data-sharing website for broader international access and online longevity.
OSF.io - a free, accessible data sharing platform that allows for the easy upload and formatting of GIFs. Formatting can be a bit vague, but see my formatting guide below.
Figshare.com - a data sharing platform with paid upgrades. Difficult to upload videos and GIFs in a way that all can be accessed on a single page for easy reading reference.
5. Format
5. Format
I primarily use OSF, so I'll share my code for how I format my GIFs below. Here is an example of what the finished product will look like! OSF uses Markdown, which is a coding language similar to HTML. If you need help with formatting beyond what I share with you, AI such as ChatGPT or Claude can help with edits to the format.
6. Submit
6. Submit
Hit the submit button, good luck!
Hit the submit button, good luck!
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