This glossary contains various terms related to visual language research.

---

Active elements – the elements of a panel that are grammatically active, and thus have an effect on visual grammar (also called "positively charged" elements)

Adjacent Awareness (AA) – a meaningful variable that determines whether entities in a representation other than a Root have “awareness” of the contents of a Carrier

Adjoined interface – a potentially bundled interface between text and image where they have no direct connection, but are related meaningfully

Amorphic – a panel that holds no acting entities, often contains only evironmental information

Assertive – an interaction between modalities where both have syntax, but only one controls the primary expression of meaning

Autonomous – linguistic expression in only one modality

Bundling – the process integrating certain relationships of text and image into cohesive units

Carrier – a symbol of visual language that exists on the Framing Plane and holds information within it that is bound to a Root through a Tail

Composite signal – the integration of more than one modality of expression into a cohesive meaningful unit

Composite syntagms – the meaningful integration of more than one expression of meaning across unbundled sequences of text and image

Co-Streaming – an interaction between modalities where both have syntax and each modality contributes equally to the meaning of the whole

Release (R) – a grammatical category in visual language where the tension of the predication is relieved

Divisional – a panel that is broken up into multiple smaller panels

Dominant – an interaction between modalities where only one has syntax and thus controls the primary expression of meaning

Emergent interface – a bundled interface between text and image with a direct connection between them

Environmental-Conjunction (E-Conjunction) – a syntactic expression where multiple grammatical heads are unified under a singular node, and all heads belong to the same referential environment in conceptual structure

Establisher (E) – a grammatical category in visual language that passively sets up the interrelation or interaction of the sentence without acting upon it

Framing Plane (FP) – a plane of representation that encapsulates non-"narrative" information , such as panel borders and Carriers

Peak (P) – a grammatical category in visual language where the predication comes to fruition

Haplotic – something that is structurally “conceptually simple”

Inset – a relationship between two panels where one is placed within the other (formerly Inclusionary)

Icon – a relationship where a sign gets its meaning through resemblance to what it references

Independent interface – an interface between text and image where there is no visual connection whatsoever

Index – a relationship where a sign gets its meaning through a causal or associative connection to what it references

Inherent interface – an interface between text and image where one modality is located within the boundaries of the other

Initial (I) – a grammatical category in visual language holding the nascent starting point of the interrelation or interaction of the sentence

Macro – a panel that holds more than one acting entity

Micro – a panel that holds less than one acting entity

Modality – a channel by which human expression can take place. Ex: auditory-aural visual-manual, visual-graphic

Mono – a panel that holds one acting entity

Non-sentient – a type of Carrier where the Root has no consciousness and thus cannot know what it contains, leaving only adjacent entities aware of it’s contents

Panel – an encapsulated attention unit that is put into the sequence of visual language, with or without visible borders

Inactive elements – the elements of a panel that are grammatically inactive, and thus do not factor into visual grammar (also called "negatively charged" or "passive" elements)

Perspective (Per) – a modifier in visual language grammar that alters the viewpoint from that of another panel

Polymorphic – an individual panel that repeats entities in different stages of an action

Private – a type of Carrier where only the Root has awareness of what is inside of it

Public – a type of Carrier where its contents is known by both the Root and all other entities in a representation

Orienter (O) – a grammatical category that set up a location or idea that prevails throughout a visual language sentence

Refiner (Ref) – a modifier in visual language grammar that hones in on the information of another panel

Prolongation (L) – a grammatical category in visual language that shows a medial point of the interrelation that binds the Initial and Germinate states

Representational Plane (RP) – a plane of representation that contains "narrative" information

Root – the part of the Representational Plane to which a Carrier is attached in an Emergent interface

Root Awareness (RA) – a meaningful variable that determines whether a Root in an Emergent interface has “awareness” of the contents of the Carrier

Satellite – a type of Carrier where no entities in the representation know its contents

Sign – something that is meaningful to someone

Spatial juxtaposition – when the units of visual language are arranged physically next to each other

Symbol – a relationship where a sign gets its meaning only through a rule or convention

Tail – the element that unites a Carrier to its Root, both depicted or not

Temporal juxtaposition – when the units of visual language are produced in real time, potentially in a single physical space

Transition – an explanation for how sequences of images communicate based on the linear relationship of one unit (panel) to another