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From:
Valerie Sutton Date: Sat Jun 6, 1998 2:26 pm Subject: Re: Sinister SignWriters! | |
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On Sat, 6 Jun 1998, Harry wrote :-)..... >Sinister SignWriters! Of course I am referring to the Latin >for left-handed SignWriters! > >I am left-handed, and I sign AUSLAN, the AUstralian Sign >LANguage derivative of British Sign Language and, therefore, >uses the two-handed manual alphabet. As you may imagine, >it sometimes takes a novice sign-reader a little adjustment to >realise why the signs he or she is reading on the sinister signer's >seem back to front! > >How many SignWriters on this list are left-handed? And do you >find it troublesome to compose all your pictograms in the dexterous >(right-handed) form? Otherwise, left-handed SignWriting may >confuse readers. How is it for ASL and like languages (one-hand >manual alphabet)? > >Harry Blackmore >(not only left-handed, but also down-under!) ____________________________________ Hi Harry! What a fun message...and as always I have learned something... I never knew that the word "sinister" could mean "left-handed"...So of course I looked it up in an English dictionary and it turns out it is connected to the word "sinistral" which means "pertaining to the left side of the body". The word can even mean "a wire that coils counterclockwise" - so anything "turning to the left" can be sinister. I guess ballet dancers do pirouettes sinistrally - ha! Well...back to the real point... SignWriting can easily record left-handed signing. Let me show you an example....Darline and Kevin Clark wrote a newsletter, Spring, 1997. Darline is left-handed, so she chose to write the signs left-handed. It is posted on this web page: SignWriter Newsletter Spring 1997 Issue https://www.SignWriting.org/spr97p1.html or go to this article, in which left-handed signing is mentioned and demonstrated: How Is The SignWriter Newsletter Prepared? https://www.SignWriting.org/prep01.html If you do not have access to the web, write to me privately and I will be happy to send you this newsletter snail mail. How do we know that it is a left-handed signer? There are several clues... 1. The base hands switch 2. The fingerspelling is clearly left-handed 3. The contact on the head is on the left side of the head 4. Most of the movement arrows have clear arrowheads which mean left-handed movement When a person is fluent in reading SignWriting it doesn't matter. Reading left-handed SignWriting or right-handed SignWriting is equally as easy. It is all a matter of fluency. That is the same as having a direct conversation with someone in a signed language - if you are skilled, it doesn't matter if the signer is left-handed or right-handed - you still understand each other. Of course writing is another story, and we can discuss that further. I am preparing a discussion on typing fingerspelling, and your message above brings that up - so I will tie into that later :-) Thanks for the interesting message, Harry! All the best - Valerie Sutton :-) https://www.SignWriting.org Sutton at the DAC Deaf Action Committee For SignWriting Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038-0517, USA (619)456-0098 voice (619)456-0010 tty (619)456-0020 fax |
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