BSL can refer to as many referents as English can, but may do so in different ways. Signs are different from spoken words because signs frequently share some visual relationship with the referent.
Nevertheless, signs are not just pantomime and gesture. There are very clear ideas of what makes a “well-formed” sign.
To create a “well-formed” sign, signers need to produce signs with the correct:
- Handshape
- Location – e.g.
- In space
- On the body
- Against the other hand
- Movement–
- Pathway of the hand or arm through signing space, and at which joint Internal movement – especially in relation to which fingers move at which joint
- Orientation of the palm and fingers
- Non-manual features –
- Facial expression
- Eye-gaze
- Eye aperture and blinking
- Head movement
- Mouth pattern
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