SignWriting shorthand?

Wed Aug 19 16:14:37 UTC 2009

SignWriting List
August 19, 2009

On Aug 19, 2009, at 8:04 AM, Alex Joseph Martini wrote:
> My name is Alex, I've just joined the mailing list recently.  On the
> website, I see a couple passing references to a shorthand version of
> SignWriting, but nothing of any length.  Are there any resources for
> learning the shorthand version?
>
> I'm taking an ASL class this fall, and I'm looking forward to using
> SignWriting for studying vocabulary and taking notes, but it does take
> some time to write.  For normal English, I'm a pretty competent Gregg
> Shorthand writer, so I thought I would try to learn a shorthand system
> for SignWriting as well.

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Hello Alex!
Pleasure to meet you. Welcome to the SignWriting List!

If you are new to SignWriting and the List, I can imagine that our  
recent messages must have really sounded complicated, talking about  
thousands of symbols...smile...but actually the writing system is read  
faster because of the visual nature of the symbols.

And as Stefan said, learning to write is not quite as easy as learning  
to read, but over the years we all have learned different techniques  
in writing quickly by hand.

Back in the 1980's I developed a SignWriting Shorthand system that was  
used for personal notetaking very fast - at the speed of watching an  
interpreter sign in class...and that SignWriting Shorthand system from  
the 1980's, could be compared a little, to Gregg Shorthand or Pittman  
Shorthand, in that it's goal was similar...to record what is being  
signed quickly and then transcribing the notes back into SignWriting  
Handwriting (like hand-printing block letters in English) so other  
people can read your notes. So your skills in Gregg Shorthand  
certainly would be a plus for you, if there is a day that you really  
wanted to get into the different world of SignWriting stenography...

SignWriting evolved and changed for the better over the years, and the  
old SignWriting Shorthand system was based on the old way of writing  
SignWriting back in the 1980's, so I am continually being asked to  
PLEASE scan in the old SW Shorthand textbook so others can learn to  
use it as a daily handwriting, which is not the same as a shorthand  
system...and of course I want to do that...I have the old book sitting  
right here on my desk...but it is over 200 pages to scan and I am  
always running behind on several projects (it is an old personality  
pattern that I am trying to break but never succeed with! ;-)

But please know I am really glad you are interested in SignWriting  
Shorthand.

Here is my suggestion. Did you know that we do have writing techniques  
documented for writing SignWriting Handwriting? That is not the  
Shorthand, but is the way we hand-print, or hand-write the official  
SignWriting symbol characters...several years ago I started teaching a  
course here on the List in SignWriting Handwriting, and it was  
wonderful...I created some lessons and people were really  
great...giving me feedback and doing their "homework assignments (big  
grin)...so you could start there, and take the course as far as we  
got...it is all posted on the web, including their homework! You will  
see people did a good job!

So go to:

SignWriting Handwriting Directory
http://www.signwriting.org/lessons/cursive/

Go to:
http://www.signwriting.org/lessons/cursive/handwriting/

Take Lessons 1...Click on the numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 on that web page  
and read everything and number 4 is the place to download the homework  
assignment...

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And then scroll down and click on all the homework assignments  
posted...numbers 5-19 are people's writing and that is fun!

Now, once you have done your homework assignment I will be happy to  
post your handwriting too!

I am writing a book right now, with Adam Frost, called "SignWriting  
Hand Symbols, The International SignWriting Alphabet"...Adam is  
working on the photos and animated GIFs and I am placing the photos  
and explanations into a book, for Adam to bring with him when he flies  
to Portugal on September 6th to present SignWriting in Lisbon for one  
week...

Is there anyone on the List who would like to travel to Lisbon to meet  
Adam?

Maybe after the book is written, I can get to the Shorthand manual,  
but meanwhile, Alex, I suspect learning to write by hand, without a  
real shorthand system, will be enough to grasp right now. Shorthand  
requires a deep knowledge of the writing system you are shortening and  
you might not be there yet in your writing training anyway...

Sorry for my long winded answer!

I would suggest that you start adding signs to the ASL SignPuddle  
Online, and occasionally posting them to our List to ask if the signs  
are written the way others would write them...that will give you  
training in writing too...

Thanks for writing!

Val ;-)

PS. I see your email address is at the University of Michigan. Do you  
know about the Deaf Church in Michigan that is writing Bible passages  
in SignWriting?  http://www.signwriting.org/usa/michigan/deafchurch.html

Valerie Sutton
Sutton at SignWriting.org

1. SignWriting
Read & Write Sign Languages
http://www.SignWriting.org

2. SignPuddle
Create SignWriting Documents Online
http://www.SignBank.org/signpuddle

3. SignWriting Shop
Books, DVDs, Lessons, Services
http://www.SignWriting.org/shop

4. SignWriting List
Technical Support: Ask questions...
http://www.SignWriting.org/forums/swlist

5. SignWriting Literature Project
Writing Literature in Sign Languages
http://www.SignWriting.org/literature

Deaf Action Committee For SignWriting
Center For Sutton Movement Writing
a US educational nonprofit organization
PO Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038, USA
Tel: 858-456-0098  Skype: valeriesutton

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