<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">SignWriting List<DIV>February 27, 2006</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Eyasu in Ethiopia wrote:</DIV><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style=""><STRONG style=""><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#BF00BF" face="comic sans ms">I thank you for your rewarding encouragement regarding a further research on Ethiopian Sign Language.</FONT></STRONG></DIV><DIV style=""><STRONG style=""></STRONG> </DIV><DIV style=""><STRONG style=""><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#BF00BF" face="comic sans ms">I found this topic suitable to my present pilot research Which Stefan and I have been doing. I saw the importance of mouth movement from both the born deaf and hard of hearing p.o.v. I asked whether it has any difference.</FONT></STRONG></DIV><DIV style=""><STRONG style=""></STRONG> </DIV><DIV style=""><STRONG style=""><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#BF00BF" face="comic sans ms">Based on my observation , mostly the born deaf when they use finger spelling esp. f! or scientific names, unfamiliar names, etc. they simply sign without any mouth movement. I asked why and they gave me the reason that their mother tongue is Sign-language. They never heard the sound of the spelling. Similar answer I got from the hard of hearing people. But when I observe sometimes they show mouth movement. The reason is obvious that they become deaf most probably after knowing the pronounciation of the spelling. But what both agree is that ''The sign speaks itself.''</FONT></STRONG></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV>--------------------------<BR><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Hello Eyasu and Everyone!</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Thank you for this valuable information. It is good that you asked your Deaf friends about mouth movements in Ethiopian Sign Language...Everything you say is very interesting!</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>There are differences in cultures and the way children are taught in school...</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>As you say, a lot depends on if the person has some hearing or not. If they had hearing when they were born, but became Deaf later, then they might mouthe words more, than if they never heard anything...This seems to be true in other cultures too...</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>No matter what, SignWriting symbols can be applied to writing any mouth movements that the writer thinks is necessary...</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>So later, if you find some mouth movements that you want to write, you can, and Stefan will be a great person to explain how to do it...smile...</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>THANK YOU to everyone for your wonderful messages about this topic..</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Val ;-)</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><FONT face="comic sans ms" color="#bf00bf"><STRONG></STRONG></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>