Sign language primes

Just as sign languages have their own morphological, syntactic and semantic system, they also have their equivalent of phonetics and phonology. The formal units corresponding to phonetic elements of spoken language are referred to as primes. The sign of the language that correspond to morphemes or words can be specified by primes of three different classes: hand configuration; the motion of the hand(s) toward or away from the body; and the place of articulation, or the locus, of the sign's movement.