<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">SignWriting List<DIV>June 21, 2005</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV>Tomáš Klapka wrote:</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Monaco">So it must be alphabetic.</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Monaco">Is it right?</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV>Hello Tomas and Everyone -</DIV><DIV>I can see others have given great answers....;-)</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Yes. I consider it an alphabet, as do most linguists I have spoken to. The A in the IMWA stands for the word Alphabet! smile... So when we are applying the symbols to writing signed languages, the system works like an alphabet. And I consider it an alphabet when writing general movement too...a movement-writing alphabet.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>So that is one unique aspect to the IMWA. The IPA, for example, is not used to write music sounds, only spoken language sounds. It is limited to one field.... But the IMWA is used to write BOTH signed-language-movement, and also general dance movement, under musical scores! So the IMWA is more than the IPA...these comparisons can get very confusing!</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Does anyone know of another writing system that writes both spoken languages sounds and music sounds?...smile</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Here is the terminology the way I use it, within SignWriting documents. This document was prepared for people who know nothing about the subject....I realize that some of the terminology is not exactly the way linguists have used these terms in the past. That is also why I felt the need to write down this terminology, so I can share with you, how I think...I would love your feedback and feel free to discuss it...see attached...</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>It is also on this web page:</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>SignWriting Terminology</DIV><DIV><A href="http://www.signbank.org/about/filemaker6.html">http://www.signbank.org/about/filemaker6.html</A></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN><IMG src="cid:C6F0911D-2CB1-4F78-827E-ADE230901120@local"></SPAN></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>