Signing Gesture Markup Language

Signing Gesture Markup Language (SiGML) is an XML-compliant notation for representing sign language gestures, developed as part of the ViSiCAST project at the University of East Anglia. SiGML is designed to bridge the gap between linguistic descriptions of signs and the animation parameters needed to drive a signing avatar. It builds on HamNoSys (Hamburg Notation System), a well-established phonetic notation for sign languages, extending it into a machine-processable XML format. SiGML operates at multiple levels of description: from high-level glosses (sign names) through phonological and phonetic notation down to physical articulation parameters including hand configuration, position, movement, orientation, and facial expression. The notation enables the generation of signing from text or other input by providing a structured intermediate representation that avatar rendering systems can interpret.