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From:
Joe Martin Date: Thu Sep 9, 1999 7:32 am Subject: transpositions | ||||||||||||
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continuing this.....movement is clear; but two questions more, please? a) for the sign for FINALLY one would write crossed D-handshapes, with movement arrows showing that the hands separate. There is also a facial expression that is a necessary part of this sign, so draw that in. The question is where to draw it; above the hands, below, to the right or left? Does it matter? b) the SW symbol for the ASL sign CAT has two handshapes; one drawn at the side of a head-circle to show that it is done on the cheek, then a movement arrow with the other handshape at the end of it. That head-circle which shows location only appears by the first handshape not with both of them; could it appear by the second one instead? original message:> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Hi Joe and everyone - > There are definite writing rules to writing both SignWriting and > DanceWriting, and those writing rules are intuitive, based on frames of > movement in space. Is that linear? Well...that depends on how you define > linear...it is not only one direction - the writing of one sign can start > at the bottom and move up, or start at the top and move down, or start at > the diagonal and move in a circle. There is a beginning position, and an > ending position, and movement inbetween. You know where to start reading > each sign, because you know that the beginning position will be at the > beginning of the movement arrows' stem line. You move into the second > position where the arrowhead is located. So you "follow the arrow" no > matter what pattern the arrow is in. > > Sometimes both beginning and ending positions are written. Sometimes one or > the other is thrown out. If the beginning position is thrown out (assumed) > then the sign begins with a movement symbol - it is very hard to explain a > visual writing system in English - but that is the general idea. > > In regards to reading SignWriting, I can only tell you that "true literacy" > has been achieved, not only by me, but hundreds of Deaf people in several > countries. Right now, Deaf children are reading literature written in > Nicaraguan Sign Language, and it is a part of their daily lives - not just > an exercise in research. > > SignWriting documents are read as quickly and as naturally as people read > newspapers written in spoken languages. How is it done? I have never > analyzed it - we just do it - and it is easy - > > So linguists need to become fluent in SignWriting themselves, so they can > analyze it from a linguistic perspective :-) > We're tryin', we're tryin' ;-) Joe > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | ||||||||||||
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