Glossary
Terms used in accessibility research and practice. Each entry has a definition, common aliases, and category tags.
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- Second Language Acquisition(also: SLA, L2 Acquisition)
- The process by which a person learns a language other than their first (native) language. In deaf education and accessibility, second language acquisition theory is particularly relevant because written English is effectively a second language for native signers of American Sign…
- Semantic Relatedness(also: Semantic Similarity, Semantic Association)
- A measure of how closely related two words or concepts are in meaning, encompassing various types of relationships including synonymy, hyponymy, meronymy, and general topical association. In assistive technology, semantic relatedness is used to improve word prediction and…
- Sign Language
- A visual-gestural language system that uses hand shapes, movements, body language, and facial expressions to convey meaning. Sign languages are complete, natural languages with their own grammar and vocabulary and are not visual representations of spoken languages. There are…
- Sign Language Writing System(also: Sign Language Script, Sign Language Notation, Sign Language Character System)
- A system of symbols or characters designed to represent sign language in written form. Unlike spoken languages, which have well-established writing systems, sign languages generally lack a standard written form — meaning the approximately 70 million people worldwide who use sign…
- Sign Writing(also: SignWriting, Sutton SignWriting)
- A graphical notation system for writing sign languages, developed by Valerie Sutton in 1974. Sign Writing uses visual symbols to represent hand shapes, movements, facial expressions, and body positions used in signing, enabling sign languages to be written and read in a visual…
- Social Communication Disorder(also: SCD, Pragmatic Language Impairment)
- A condition characterized by persistent difficulties with the social use of verbal and nonverbal communication. Individuals with social communication disorder struggle with using communication for social purposes, adjusting communication to match context, following…
- South African Sign Language(also: SASL)
- The primary sign language used by the Deaf community in South Africa, recognized as one of the country's official languages under the Constitution. SASL has its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary distinct from spoken South African languages. Like all sign languages, SASL is a…
- Specific Language Impairment(also: SLI, Developmental Language Disorder)
- A neurodevelopmental condition characterised by significant difficulties in acquiring and using language that cannot be attributed to hearing loss, intellectual disability, neurological damage, or environmental deprivation. Children with specific language impairment may have…
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