Finger configuration glyph from the Typannot SystemFinger configuration glyph from the Typannot SystemFinger configuration glyph from the Typannot SystemFinger configuration glyph from the Typannot SystemFinger configuration glyph from the Typannot SystemFinger configuration glyph from the Typannot SystemFinger configuration glyph from the Typannot System

A typographic system
to transcribe Sign Languages

The Typannot project aims to set up a comprehensive transcription system for Sign Languages. This typographic system is based on a corporeal articulatory phonetic approach. Our goal is to enable researchers to analyse how the language and the body interact to create meaning in Sign Languages. This project is attached to the De-Sign-E Lab from ESAD, the Superior Art and Design School of Amiens and is led by the pluridisciplinary team Gestual Script.

THE TYPANNOT
PROJECT

1.

RESEARCH ON SIGN LANGUAGE

The need for a transcription tool

In a nutshell, linguists study Sign Languages to understand the organisation, meaning and role of its components. To do that, they need tools to transcribe pieces of speech in order to analyze them. The alphabet works well to write down vocal languages, because its letters are based on sounds, but Sign Languages are visual languages based on gestures, and using the alphabet comes with great limitations.

Finding a way to write down Sign Languages is a challenge. Since the XIX century, numerous experts have worked on the topic, any several systems have been created. Each of which has it’s distinctive qualities, comprehensiveness, precision, intuitiveness, legibility, etc. Yet, none have been recognized by the Signing community as an official writing system.

For Sign Languages, there are two different types of systems: writing systems, to enable deaf people to write down their language as hearing people do with the alphabet and transcription systems, to enable researchers to study the language. Typannot aims to be the ladder, a transcription system for linguistic and gestural studies.

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Claire Danet - Gestual Script

THE TYPANNOT APPROACH

Changing the perspective

Existing transcription systems are based on characters representing the outer shapes created by the signer’s body parts. This outer point of view doesn’t take into account the corporeal components of signs. To put it simply, what happens physically, how the body is moving, in order to create this outer shape. This means it isn’t possible with such systems to study the role played by the body in the creation of meaning in Sign Languages. Within the Gestual Script team, we believe theses relationships are worth questioning and could bring new perspectives on Sign Languages studies.

The idea of taking the body as a frame of reference is inspired by the corporal articulatory model developed by Dominique Boutet. This model based a kinesiological approach intends to bring better understanding on the relationship between the different parts of the body and how they are set in motion to create meaningful gestures. 

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TYPANNOT
FONT FAMILY

2.

BASED ON THE BODY

To retain key pieces of information

In order to provide a system enabling researcher to question the role played by the body in the structure and meaning of Sign Languages, the Typannot typographic system is structured upon the body. Such a system enables to study and analyse the principles and mechanisms of gestures at an anatomical and biomechanical level. 

Typannot articulatory model

THE TYPANNOT FONT FAMILY

To transcribe all components of Sign Languages

In Sign Languages the meaning is created by putting in motion the upper body parts. In order to be as accurate as possible the Typannot system is organized around two categories of information: on one hand, the configuration of the upper body parts (hand, upper limb, mouth, eye), on the other, their movement. For each category of information, we are designing a type font, one font for each body part and a transversal font for movement. All of which are grouped in what we call the Typannot Font Family. The fonts of the Typannot system are comprehensive in their description yet remain intuitive to understand hanse their iconic shapes.

The Typannot Font FamilyFinger configuration glyph from the Typannot System

FINGERS

The finger configuration carries significant information in Sign Languages. For this prime parameter, the typeface we have created displays the shape of the fingers — degree of aperture of each finger and relative position of each phalange — and the interactions between fingers (contacts, crosses, etc.).

Upper Limb glyph - Typannot Font

UPPER LIMBS

The upper limb configuration includes the shoulder, arm, forearm and hand palm. Each of these parts is articulated by joints that have specific degrees of freedom. Our system encodes every flexion, rotation and orientation of the upper limb parts and our type displays them in a unique glyph that gives a compact overview.

Movement font - WIP

EYES

The eye configuration includes all the upper face: the eye balls, the eye lids, the eye brows and the nose. When completed this font will allow to study the eyes independently or in combination with the mouth font.

Mouth Gesture glyph  - Typannot Font

MOUTH

The mouth configuration plays an important role in Sign Languages. Our font is structured around four subparts: the jaw, the lips, the tongue and the use of air. Each of these has a set of glyphs, which, when combined together can transcribe virtually any mouth sign.

Movement font - WIP

MOVEMENT

In the Typannot system, movement describes how articulatory variations occur inside the different configurations (fingers, upper limbs, mouth, eyes). The movement font will work in conjunction with the configuration fonts and is, as of right now, in an early stage of work.

Retaining articulatory INFORMATION

For complete data mining

For each body part, the Typannot model organises the articulatory components of signs in a string of symbolic characters. Using such strings of articulatory components enables to be precise yet concise in the description of any given sign. These strings follow a dedicated syntax that operates as a structure upon which the fonts are designed. Beyond a consistent methodologic process, these strings of characters compounded into unique glyphs enable comprehensive data mining of articulatory components across corpora and languages.

By using this process, the Typannot system is able to transcribe and display a virtually infinite number of morphological combinations. Meaning that any given sign in any given sign language can be transcribed. It’s a fully international system that will inherently be capable of transcribing any new sign that would be created by signers in the future. As long as it can be signed, it can be transcribed.

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Articulatory pieces of information in a glyphOrganization of the articulatory characters of the Finger Configuration

Typographic ligatureS

Two display modes in one typeface

Our typefaces work with two display modes. On one hand, a string of articulatory symbolic characters, on the other, a compounded iconic glyph representing the shape created by a sign. Both of these display modes are accessible in any given text or transcription software. The technology behind this feature is based on contextual ligatures coded with Python scripts. Theses ligatures allows the user to switch effortlessly from one display to another enabling them to read signs globally or to dive in their articulatory components at any given time.

Typographic Engineering

To automatically combine thousands of glyphs

Each of our body parts has thousands of possible symbolic string compositions. Which means that our typefaces each have thousands of possible glyphs. In order to create these glyphs, we have developed a custom Robofont plugin. It works by transforming typographic rules — created to set up each typeface — into scripts that automatically combines pieces of glyphs together.  

TYPANNOT
KEYBOARD

3.

Introduction screen - Typannot Keyboard
Finger configuration interface - Typannot keyboard
Motion capture interface - Typannot Keyboard

The typannot keyboard

In order to make the Typannot Font Familly fully accessible, we are designing and developing a virtual keyboard custom made for the Typannot system. This keyboard enables the transcription of any given sign in any given sign language. By clicking on different articulatory values, the user can compose a wide range of glyphs, verify if they match glancing at an avatar, and send them directly to any transcription or text software.

CUSTOM INTERFACES

Each body part has its own font, and each font will have its own custom interface on the Typannot Keyboard. In order to make it as easy as possible to switch from one to another, we are building these interfaces with a similar logic and design. One of our main purposes is to ensure an effortless user experience and provide wide use-cases to match researchers' needs no matter what their speciality or focus.

Motion CAPTURE

Motion Capture is anticipated to revolutionize the field of Sign Language transcription. Whether it’s used to record corpora directly, or, developing devices to transcribe existing corpora using gestures, these technologies allow a significant time gain. Beyond this practical aspect, transcribing with motion capture would allow the transcription process to be virtually identical to the prime act of signing. In order to embrace these evolutions, the Typannot keyboard will integrate dedicated motion capture interfaces for each body part. A prototype has been developed using Leap motion for the fingers, and early work in progress is led using Brekel Proface V2 for facial actions.

OUR TEAM
& PARTNERS

4.

GESTUAL SCRIPT 

Interdisciplinary team, transdisciplinary approach

The Gestual Script Team is an interdisciplinary team that brings together linguists, type designer, digitals designers, developers and type engineers. The aim of our team is to design and develop tools that will allow the enhancement of knowledge in the field of Sign Languages. At the root of our work stands a transdisciplinary approach intertwined with the conviction that our goals can only be met by combining the knowledge from different fields of expertise. 

Our linguists are developing innovative descriptive models in order to open the scope of Sign Language research. Our type and digital designers are creating typographic systems and interactive interfaces to produce visual representations for our linguistic models. Our developers and type engineers are building softwares that enable a comprehensive usage of our typefaces and meet our users needs.

This approach, and the collaborative work process we have been nourishing since the beginning enable us to tackle highly complex issues. This brings new perspectives on what can be done in very specific fields such as the phonetic transcription of movement at a corporal and articulatory level.

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Gestual Script Team

OUR TEAM

Claudia S. Bianchini

Senior lecturer in Langages & Linguistic studies
Expertise in Sign Languages and Writing Systems
• University of Poitiers
• Research unit UR15076 FoReLLIS – Formes et Représentations en Linguistique, Littérature et dans les arts de l’Image et de la Scène
• Team A – Linguistics
• Gestual Script team

Léa Chevrefils

Post-doctoral researcher in Langages & Linguistic studies
• Expertise in Sign Languages and Movement
• University of Sorbonne Nouvelle
• Research unit EA4398 Prismes
• Gestual Script team

Adrien Contesse

Graphic Designer
• Expert in Type and Digital Design
• ESAD Amiens, École Supérieure d’Art et de Design
• De-Sign-e research unit
• Gestual Script team
• singlecase.design

Claire Danet

Post-doctoral researcher in Langages & Linguistic studies
• Expertise in Sign Languages and Interaction Design
• ESAD Amiens, École Supérieure d’Art et de Design
• De-Sign-e research unit
• Gestual Script team

Patrick Doan

Teacher & researcher in type design
• Expert de graphisme et typographie
• ESAD Amiens, École Supérieure d’Art et de Design
• De-Sign-e research unit
• Gestual Script team

Morgane Rébulard

Type & Graphic Designer
• Expertise in Type Design & Engineering
• ESAD Amiens, École Supérieure d’Art et de Design
• De-Sign-e research unit
• Gestual Script team

Chloé Thomas

Doctoral student in Langages & Linguistic studies
• Expertise in Sign Languages and facial studies
• University of Rouen-Normandie
• Researchunit UR7474 DyLIS – Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage In Situ
• MIDLOS team
• Gestual Script team

Contributors & Former members

Mathieu Réguer (2018 – today)
Jean-François Dauphin (2016 – 2021)
Dominique Boutet (2013 – 2020)
Timothée Goguely (2013 – 2018)
Ilaria Renna (2013)
Roman Miletitch (2013)

PARTNERSHIPS

The Typannot project brings together researchers from the ESAD design school of Amiens, the FoReLLIS lab from the Poitier University and the DyLIS lab from the Rouen University. The project is currently funded by the ESAD, the Région Hauts-de-France and the Ministère de la Culture DGCA (General Direction for Artistic Creation). It also has received grants from the Ministère de la Culture DGLFLF (General Delegation for the French Language and Languages of France) and sponsorship form the Crédit Agricole Bank. If you are interested in partnering with us don’t hesitate to reach out using our contact information bellow. 

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PUBLICATIONS
& EVENTS

5.

PUBLICATIONS

Read the article
Contesse & al.
Grapholinguistics and its Applications, vol
Under review
Read the article
Danet & al.
Proceedings of the LREC 10th Workshop
In press
Read the article
Doan & al.
CogniTextes, vol. 19 « Corpora and Representativeness »
2019
Read the article
Doan & al.
Proceedings of the “Conf. Langues et numérique”
2018
Read the article
Boutet & al.
Signata - Annales des sémiotiques, vol. 9 « Signatures : sémiotique de l’écriture »
2018
Read the article
Doan & al.
Culture et recherche, vol. 130 « La recherche dans les écoles supérieures d’art »
2015
READ MORE

CommunicationS

Read the article
Doan & al.
Jul 2018
Aix en Provence, France
READ MORE
contact.gestual.script@gmail.com

Our fonts are not available for use yet, but if you want to get in touch, for booking, partnering, sharing some ideas, or just to say hi, don't hesitate to shoot us an email !

1.

TYPANNOT FONT

A typographic system to transcribe Sign Languages

RESEARCH ON SIGN LANGUAGE

FINGERS

To retain more relevent pieces of information
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Static and dynamic content editing

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

Static and dynamic content editing

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