Palmfacing

Palmfacing is a term used in gesture studies and sign language research to describe the orientation of the palm relative to the signer and the observer during a gesture or sign. It focuses on the direction the palm faces, which can vary during a single gesture and may be described as facing toward the body, away from the body, toward the observer, or toward the space in front of the signer. The concept is often treated as a parameter that interacts with other features such as handshape, location, and movement.

In sign languages, palm orientation is a phonological or morpho-phonological parameter that helps distinguish signs with otherwise similar configurations. Palmfacing can contribute to lexical contrast, grammatical markings, or affect the interpretation of movement and spatial references. Researchers may analyze palmfacing alongside other articulators to classify signs, describe regional variation, or compare the structure of different sign languages. Because many signs rely on precise palm orientation, small changes in facing can lead to different meanings or signal grammatical distinctions.

Applications of palmfacing analysis extend to linguistics, sign language instruction, and human-computer interaction. In studies using video coding or motion capture, palmfacing is quantified to model sign production, compare signers, or design more intuitive gesture-based interfaces. While the term is used in some papers and discussions, it is not universally standardized, and researchers may use related terms such as palm orientation or palm facing direction. As such, palmfacing remains a descriptive tool within a broader framework of gesture and sign-language analysis.