cherology means the equivalent of phonology for sign languages. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why this word is great
CHEROLOGY — [Noun] The systematic study of the smallest contrastive units (cheremes) in a sign language, analogous to phonology in spoken languages. Coined by William Stokoe from the Ancient Greek χείρ (kheír, "hand") + -logy ("study of"). Unlike phonology, which charts the architecture of sound, or semiotics, which surveys the vast empire of symbols, cherology isolates the precise grammar of gesture: the shape of the hand, its place in space, its movement and orientation. It is the science of a flat palm versus a clenched fist, a sign at the temple versus the chin, a twist versus a tap—a revelation that the most profound statements are often those written in the body's eloquent geometry.
noun
- The equivalent of phonology for sign languages.