SignWriting List
March 7, 2000

QUESTION 0056:
How do you write fingers pressing together?

ANSWER 0056:
Below are three examples of the same sign.

It is best to keep the Tension Symbols close to the Touch Contact
Star, since when reading, the eye needs the "combination of the two
symbols" to mean "pressing".

Number 3 shows the "movement of pressing twice", with the feeling of
"In, In". Other movement symbol combinations will give other feelings
to the press action, so the arrows show the direction of emphasis:

SignWriting List
March 8, 2000

QUESTION 0057:
Is there a special arrow that doesn´t mean moving from here to there, but just helping to read the order of movements?

ANSWER 0057:

Here are the rules on reading the movement in signs:

1. If there are Movement Arrows in the sign, then you read the sign starting at the stem of the arrow and the sign then moves in the direction of the arrow. This means that if a Movement Arrow is pointing up, then the sign starts low, and ends high. But if the Movement Arrow were pointing down, then the movement starts high and finishes low.

2. If the Movement Arrows are in clusters or groups, or if they are "combined arrows", where many arrows are blended to become one symbol, then the rule is: Read the cluster of Movment Symbols from: 1. Center to Out or 2. Top to Bottom.

3. If there are no Movement Arrows in the sign, but smaller symbols are used to show small movement, such as Finger Movement, or Push-Tension, then again the rule is: Read the small movements from: 1. Center to Out or 2. Top to Bottom.