This exercise is aimed at stimulating discussion on glosses and their constraints. It is possible for students to use dictionaries (hard copy or on-line) of the sign language they know, or websites such as, for instance, www​.spreadthesign​.com. Here are two examples:

1. DGS car: the relation between the gloss and the meaning seems clear, but one may wonder whether the sign could also mean drive.

2. The English word ‘break’ is a homonym, it can mean a pause (N) or to split into pieces (V), two completely separate lemmas. In the on-line dictionary ‘Spread the sign’ there are two entries but the meaning is not specified. Under the first entry ‘break’, some signs have the meaning of ‘split into pieces’ but others mean ‘pause’. In the second entry, most signs do mean ‘pause’ but for the LSF sign the video clip is for ‘split into pieces’ despite the wrong gloss in French. The homonymy in the English gloss has led to this confusion in constructing the entries.