Orient contains any extra information about how a gesture was performed.
entry ::= (null | value) [op (null | value)]* null ::= "" value ::= <Description of referent with no punctuation that is also an op> op ::= "+" | "-" | "/" | "."
Because it would be impossible to account for all potential referents, values can be anything so long as they do not include punctuation that double as ops.
Ops have the following interpretation:
| Op | Meaning |
|---|---|
| + | Simultaneous gestures |
| - | Sequential gestures without return to neutral position |
| / | Gestures morph into one another |
| . | Sequential gestures with return to neutral position - DEPRECATED |
Orient is dependent on the Form Column.
Orient must have the same number of values and the same number and type of ops as the Form entry on which it depends.
Some Form codes have canonical orientations:
| Form Code | Canonical Orient Values | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| palm | palm up, palm down, palm side, palm out; These four values can optionally be followed by either tap or touch |
|
| hold | shake; An empty string is also acceptable | Used when the object being held is shaken to, for example, draw attention to it |
| iconic | trace path, trace shape; An empty string is also acceptable | trace shape would be used if the speaker is talking about a STOP sign and draws an octagon in the air trace path would be used if the speaker is talking about a boy running home while drawing a representation of the path, be it concrete or abstract, he followed to get there |
| metaphoric | trace path, trace shape; An empty string is also acceptable | Same as trace shape and trace path for iconics |
Note
If the code in Form is continued (ending with ~), the corresponding value in Gloss must be the same as the Gloss value associated with the Form code being continued on the immediately preceding line with a communicative act on the part of the speaker.
None