Skip to content
Writing Systems Technical Resources

HamNoSys Notation

No sample available

Script details

Section titled “Script details”
See all script details: code, region, status and more
Code x-hamburg-notation-system
Script type featural
Region Signed Language
Status Current
Direction LTR
Baseline bottom
Case no
White space unspecified
Complex behaviors none
OpenType code unspecified
ISO 15924 Number 939 (private use, alias, or special)

Explanation of script details

Script description

Section titled “Script description”

The Hamburg Sign Language Notation System, or HamNoSys, was first developed by a group of hearing and deaf people in 1985.

Read the full description…It is currently in its fourth revision. Unlike the other scripts for writing signed languages, HamNoSys is not intended as a practical writing tool for everyday communication. Rather, its purpose is analogous to that of the International Phonetic Alphabet, which is used to transcribe the sounds of any given spoken language in a consistent way. In the same way, HamNoSys is based on the phonology of signed languages and designed with the capacity to transcribe every natural signed language in the world using consistent symbols across languages.

HamNoSys is an alphabet, written using 210 largely iconic characters. Based on Stokoe’s 4-parameter model, characters represent hand shape, hand orientation, location relative to other parts of the body, and movement. Each sign (or word) must be written by assigning a value to each of these parameters. Unlike Stokoe’s model, HamNoSys also provides a symmetry operator for representing symmetrical two-handed signs, and a limited number of non-manual components. Non-manual phonological elements can be represented in part by replacing the hand grapheme with the symbol for another body part, such as the head. The parameters of a sign are written in the following order:

  • Symmetry Operator
  • Non-manual Components
  • Handshape
  • Hand Position
  • Location
  • Movement

Smaller facial movements such as raised eyebrows or puffed out cheeks are more complex to represent. They can be written on another tier, synchronised to the master manual tier. HamNoSys has been criticised for not adequately representing facial expression, which forms a crucial part of the phonology of many signed languages. Work is underway to develop a more comprehensive system for representing this.

This script is not currently recognized by the ISO 15924 standard, but is included in Writing Systems Technical Resources for research purposes. If you have any information on this script, please add the information to this site. Your contributions can be a great help in refining and expanding the ISO 15924 standard. The Script Encoding Initiative is working to support the inclusion of this script in the standard, and contributions here will support their efforts.

Languages that use this script

Section titled “Languages that use this script”

There are no known languages that use this script.

Unicode status

Section titled “Unicode status”

HamNoSys is not yet in Unicode. The script has not yet been added to the Roadmap to the SMP for the Unicode Standard.

Resources

Section titled “Resources”

Related articles

External links