STPPJM is a lexicon of legal and law-related terms compiled in Polish Sign Language (PJM) and written Polish. It contains several hundred entries — terms selected based on their relevance to situations where Deaf individuals may encounter them in interactions with law professionals or while reading texts related to legal issues.
The dictionary is intended, among others, for legal professionals — such as legal advisors who work with Deaf clients; for Polish Sign Language interpreters providing services to the Deaf community; as well as for Deaf individuals themselves who wish to better understand legal documents they receive and to gain a clear understanding of their legal situation. In such contexts, comprehension of legal terminology is essential.
The list of entries includes all dictionary headwords. Each entry is represented in the list by:
- an initial frame from the video recording of the sign,
- the handshapes used to articulate the sign (displayed on the left side),
- the Polish equivalent (below the initial video frame),
- the transcription of the sign in the HamNoSys system (below the Polish term).
Each dictionary entry includes the following components:
- The headword or multi-word expression in written Polish. Separate entries are created for distinct legal terms, e.g., WYROK (‘verdict’) and WYKONANIE WYROKU (‘execution of the verdict’) are treated as two independent entries.
- Variants of the term in PJM, if they exist (video recordings); these are listed below the Polish text.
- HamNoSys transcription of the sign (displayed above the video).
- The equivalent term in Polish Sign Language, consisting of one or more signs (video recording).
- A definition or explanation in PJM, which may be a direct translation from Polish or adapted to PJM grammar. Where possible, definitions avoid using the defined term and instead rely on widely known signs and non-specialist concepts.
- A definition in spoken Polish, based on legal definitions—sometimes quoted directly, sometimes rephrased to enhance accessibility for non-specialists while maintaining legal precision.
- Example sentences demonstrating the use of the PJM term in context, adapted from example sentences in spoken Polish.
- Authentic usage examples, mainly drawn from various types of legal texts and documents. These form the basis for the PJM examples.
The dictionary includes only legal and juridical meanings of Polish words and PJM signs. Other senses are not included. For example, the entry TOGA refers exclusively to the legal gown worn by lawyers — not to an academic robe or the garment worn by Roman citizens. Similarly, the term OBROŃCA ‘defender’ is defined only in the sense of a legal defense attorney — not as a military defender (as in the street name “Rondo Obrońców Tobruku”) or as a football player position.
Legal terms are divided into approximately 30 thematic subcategories. Category assignment is one of the parameters associated with each entry. Some terms could not be clearly classified under any single category and were therefore assigned to the “Other” category.
This thematic classification is essential, as it determines the scope of a term's meaning in the dictionary. For instance, the term KURATOR defined under the category “Parties to a Contract/Proceedings” refers specifically to a legal representative, and not to a probation officer (i.e., a court-appointed guardian supervising a minor).
The remaining parameters of each entry relate to the way the sign is produced. These include:
- the handshape of the dominant hand,
- the handshape of the non-dominant hand (if the sign is two-handed),
- the location, that is, the area of the body or signing space where the sign is performed (for two-handed signs, this refers to the location on the non-dominant hand where the dominant hand articulates the sign),
- an indication of whether the sign is two-handed.