Hi Valerie and everyone on the List ..,
Valerie wrote :
> I hope this is clearer. And Charles you did a great job - these
> details are hard. It is only natural that you wish to shorten the
> writing. For now, try writing for a person who doesn't know ASL. Then
> later, we can shorten the spellings....
This is a very important point to me. Perhaps linguists would discuss it
differently -
Itīs the same with me if I write the texts for my pupils.
I am the author -- so itīs me who decides to spell the sign for apple or egg
the way I do.
I explain it to my pupils - this is egg - we sign it this way. This is
apple - we sign it this way --
They have a look at my spellings and read - without any difficulty - egg -
apple -
no problem so far --
several months later I have to realize that I mixed up rotation -and axial
movement - symbols.
Poor students - ...
No - no proble at all: I tell them : Iīm sorry I made a mistake - it has to
be written this way - and I offer my next (and hopefully correct ) version .
Itīs no problem - o.k. apple --- ok. egg -
But what happened? They knew what I had in mind when I offered a written
form for the sign for apple or egg.
They donīt analyze the single elements - as I wrote before. (not yet ;-) )
But what I would like to is to be able to write the movement, the hand, the
facial - expression all the elements that are neccessary to identify this
special sign in its context !
Shorten spellings - mh - I agree that we donīt have to double the
information if it is already offered. But on the other hand - if I donīt
keep in my that there are soooo many signs that vary only in one little
parameter - well then it should be worthwhile to write as exactly as
possible . Taking the written signs from the dictionary later on is no
burdon at all.
Last question - comment to your gif1
What about guessing about the endpositions of the hands? I assume that the
palms are parallel to the floor in the end - both palms down is this
correct? Do you think we should express that with additional endpositions
for the hands as there direction has changed ?
Thanks so much for your attention. Discussing signs in detail helps to
understand.
All the best
Stefan ;-)
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