This invention relates to signal space architectures for generalized gesture capture. Embodiments of the invention includes a gesture-primitive approach involving families of “gesteme” from which gestures can be constructed, recognized, and modulated via prosody operations. Gestemes can be associated with signals in a signal space. Prosody operations can include temporal execution modulation, shape modulation, and modulations of other aspects of gestures and gestemes. The approaches can be used for advanced touch user interfaces such as High-Dimensional Touch Pad (HDTP) in touchpad and touchscreen forms, video camera hand-gesture user interfaces, eye-tracking user interfaces, etc.