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IADIS International Conference WWW/Internet 2010The phonology is the structure used in the literature to represent the components of a given sign. Thebasic phonological characteristics were demonstrated by Stokoe (1960), that showed that sign languagespossess all the linguistic aspects of a language, be it in the lexical, syntax or in its ability to generate infinitesets of sentences. Additionally, Stokoe showed that, just like the words from oral languages, signs arecomposed by segments, and stated that signs are complex and abstract symbols that can be studied by itsmany parts (as opposed to mere spelling or mimic, signs are complex structures).Stokoe said ASL had a limited number of combinations: location; hand configuration and movement.Then, the 70´s wittenessed an increase of deeper studies in the ASL: linguists such as Battison (1974) andKlima & Bellugi (1979) described a fourth parameter: the orientation of the palm of the hand. Additionally,the literature shows that signs have other elements that can be used to describe them, such as: structure forthe use of both hands, movement repetitions, non-manual expressions, signs that have two or more handconfigurations, among others.The model proposed in this article is based on the compilation and adaptation of the phonological modelsdescribed by Liddell & Johnson (1989), Quadros & Karnopp (2004), Ferreira-Brito (1995), among others.From Stokoe, we have that the majority of the signs are composed by minimal set of arrangements that areexecuted simultaneously, and Liddell & Johnson state that the signs must be defined also by theirsequenciality. Liddell & Johnson observed that in the ASL there are signs performed with more than a handconfiguration, more than a moviment and/or more than a location.Liddel & Johnson proposed the Movement-Hodel model: Hold (signs characterized by the lack ofmovement and stability of their composing parameters during articulation), and the Movements (signscharacterized by the alteration of at least one of their composing parameters), in addition to having thepresence of a movement. Thus, a model was developed based on the parameters hand configuration, location,movement, orientation (of the palm of the hand) and non-manual expressions, including several traits todescribe, in detail, the manner in wich signs are formed. Figure 1 shows the basic structure of this proposedmodel:Figure 1. Sign structureIn addition to the existing models, the proposed model adopts two extra segments for the Hold and for theMovement: Dominant hand and Non-dominant hand. The signs in Libras are the same whether one performsusing the right or the left hand, although the literature specifies the use of the right hand when describing asign. The supporting hand have the same segments as the main hand, with its own attributes. In the proposedmodel, Hold is composed by Handshapes (pre-defined, the alphabet, spelling and numbers. Finger´splacement enrich the model); Location (place in the body, in space or on supporting hand where the sign isarticulated); Orientation of the Palm (up, down, left, right etc.) and local movements (placed in Hold becausethere are signs which are characterized more by oscillations, better described here than in the Movementsegment [Ferreira-Brito, 1995, p.41].The Non-Manual Expressions include movements of the face, eyes, head and dorsal. The Non-ManualExpression have, among others, the goal of pointing out some syntactic constructions (interrogative, relativesentences etc.) and the differentiation of lexical items (specific and pronominal references, negative particle,adverb, etc.), and may convey joy, sadness, angriness etc. They may also be used to represent desguisedsigns. For instance, instead of signalizing “theaft” in its entirety, one can use only the facial expression, thusbeing more discreet.Movement is defined as the actions of the hand in space and around the enunciator. Quadros & Karnopp(2004) show the views of several authors describing the complexity of Movement, which can becharacterized in many ways and directions, and, most importantly, they must be taken into account becausesuch variations may have different meanings in the grammar of the sign language. The type deals withaspects of movements, interaction and contact. The Quality of the movement contains temporal, nontemporalaspects (related to the extension and the tension with which the movement is executed) and velocity269