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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear Val, Steve and Charles,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Yes I've been writing,
<FONT size=4><STRONG>Val.</STRONG></FONT> Much of what you've created that
I've seen is well chosen. When I'd surveyed the dictionary, noting the
notation for a number of signs I knew, I was able to write simple signs. I
like pen and paper, Val. The freedom is unparalled. I'd love to
learn from you. I queried you for my new appendix because I see no
point in reinventing the wheel. I could; but I can go farther and faster
on the magic carpet woven by my peers before me. My own strand of carpet,
the one I'll add, is but a mite of contribution, it may add horsepower to
the carpet or perhaps give clearer vision to fellow travelors. Allow them
to see where they're going better, and get there more quickly.
Acquire new languages more quickly than by conventional methods, which as
I've pointed out, tend to create failures not scholars. I'll go to the
site you cited when I set this note down, or perhaps give it wings to fly to
you. <FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>I'll also enter the ring to
wrestle with your host of puddles, sign boxes, and web sites. They don't
look so tough; If they come too close, I'll have to call their
bluff. I'll weave them into my matt of understanding, see how they like it
there. Sometimes words have to be shown their place.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> I reviewed "How to Write Fast" by Fryxell,
<FONT size=4><STRONG>Steve</STRONG></FONT>. Thanks for your
suggestion. He speaks to an issue, a topic I feel comfortable with.
I've trained for some time to walk this High Wire of Literacy. Now its
time for the big show. Time for me to walk the line. I've come off
the wire several times so far, and discovered that I bounce rather high.
Its no longer I that walk--the wire passed under my feet now when I bid it
to. I walk the wire for my pleasure. I write for myself. I
know that people will come to see the show, how I walk the line, how I
write. About 1960 the New York Public Library ordered two of my early
publications, in 1974 a Major University invited me to teach after seeing an
incomplete volume I was working on. Now I'm irritated by some shabby
practices in schools under the pretence of teaching languages. I
intend to make them feel the point of my pen, when its too late for them to
avoid it.. </DIV>
<DIV> I've completed my "Basic ASL Dictionary",
Steve. It took me three years to write. Now I plan to add a precis
of SignWriting as a fifth Appendix, hopefully before I release my first hard
bound edition of the work. Good minds, using the same language, come to
very similar conclusions. My Synoptic view of SignWriting would be much
the same as that of another clear thinker. I see no point repeating
creation of a good synopsis; this would be like rebuilding part of our culture
already sound. If I don't identify one soon, I suppose I will sit down to
do this, and hope I can be as complete and accurate as one who has preceeded me
in using SignWriting. </DIV>
<DIV> ,<FONT size=4><STRONG>
Charles.</STRONG></FONT> <FONT size=4> </FONT><FONT size=3>I suspect
that the 15 minute attention span of the child probably persists through the
ages of man, actually. I've found that rapid learning appears to be the
best type. I've noted, with rapid learning specialists before
me, that three times more information is retained when its liked to visual
images than when its coded in words. Your teaching and the way you
approach presenting SignWriting sounds interesting to me. I hope I may
have an opportunity to learn more about your methods. I'd love to see your
"Learning Wheel".</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> Sincerely, Frank</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=sutton@signwriting.org href="mailto:sutton@signwriting.org">Valerie
Sutton</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=sw-l@majordomo.valenciacc.edu
href="mailto:sw-l@majordomo.valenciacc.edu">sw-l@majordomo.valenciacc.edu</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, March 06, 2006 7:35
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [sw-l] Snail Mail</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>SignWriting List
<DIV>March 6, 2006</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Hello Frank, Charles and Steve!</DIV>
<DIV>Thanks so much for posting your messages below...smile...</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Interesting discussion!</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>And thank you, Frank, for sending me a draft of your book...I do not
teach American Sign Language. I leave that to others. I just invented the
symbols that are used to write many different signed languages...so ASL is
only one of those languages. Once I receive your draft of your book that you
sent me today, perhaps we can find a person to give you the feedback you need,
related to teaching ASL, which is not my profession. <BR
class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>But what I can do is help you learn to use free software to create signs
in SignWriting for your book...</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>If you want to try right now, go to this web page:</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://www.SignBank.org/signpuddle/sgn-US/create.php">http://www.SignBank.org/signpuddle/sgn-US/create.php</A></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>And drag and drop symbols from the Symbol Palette into the SignBox...have
you created your own signs in SignWriting yet? If not, I am happy to help
teach you how to do this...it is a lot of fun!</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Once you have created your sign, you can copy and paste it into Microsoft
Word or other software that you use to prepare your book...so you can prepare
your own SignWriting diagrams for your book...</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>So ask questions anytime!</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Val ;-)</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>-----------------------------------</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR>
<DIV>
<DIV>On Mar 6, 2006, at 3:11 PM, Frank wrote:</DIV><BR
class=Apple-interchange-newline>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 14px Arial; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2">
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">Dear
Valorie,</SPAN><BR style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN
class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"> I mailed the
March edition of my "Basic ASL Dictionary" to you at 3pm</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">today; it should be there by next
Monday. I chose the delux student</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">binding for you, (LOL). Its
versatile, can occupy a number of positions</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">without identitiy confusion. My
target audience is people who wish to begin</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">learning to sign quickly. I'll
redraw some entries, rewrite the front pages</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">and acquire or write a synopsis of
SignWriting for an Appendix 5 before I go</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">to a Hard Cover edition.</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"> Like Diderot
and Voltaire, I think it would be good to have necessary</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">and sufficient information bound into
one volume, and believe its possible</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">to do this for ASL.</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"> Hoping your
good work will be rewarding and satisfying this week, I</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">remain</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman">Yours truly,
Frank</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV><BR
class=Apple-interchange-newline></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>------------------------</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>On Mar 6, 2006, at 7:04 AM, Steve Slevinski wrote:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<DIV>Hi Frank,</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>FYI, the International Movement Writing Alphabet isn't finished
yet. Valerie works with all of the world's sign languages, not just
ASL. There is more than enough information on SignWriting.org to
adequately explain SignWriting. And Val has more ongoing projects than
is reasonable.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>The idea you had for a book sounds like a great idea. Probably
about 3 years worth of work. If you're really interested in this type
of book would you be more willing to spend your time or your money?
If you're willing to spend your time, may I suggest a book called
"How to Write Fast (While Writing Well)" by David Fryxell. If you're
willing to spend your money, Valerie runs a non-profit which accepts
donations (tax deductible even). If Valerie could hire a personal
assistant and a writer, the project you suggested might be feasible.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Regards,</DIV>
<DIV>-Steve</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>-----------------------</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV><BR>
<DIV>On Mar 6, 2006, at 5:01 AM, Charles Butler wrote:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<DIV>Hi Frank,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I can teach the basic concept of writing sign in about 10 lessons,
starting with a box shape, and walking through each finger combination,
rotation, and movement. The handshapes of ASL are around 45 or so
(with classifiers slightly more), three planes of movement, (and diagonals)
and the straight lines, circles, types of touching. Facial expressions
you learn as you go, but five or six get one started. Once you hit
unusual languages, like Ethiopian, with a syllabary, there are more
handshapes, Libras has about the same number as ASL. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A child who knows sign can read within one hour, and some signs in less
than a minute (you can't do that with English). </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Stokoe is not built for multiple signed languages, SignWriting
is. I teach people how to write movement, and the converntions
are not that hard. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>!
<DIV>One learns by doing, and I can still read stuff I wrote in the 1980s,
cold. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Writing for oneself opens a person's mind to wonder, and a patient
teacher loves to see the lights go off in a person's eyes. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Valerie's Basic Lessons in Sign Writing cover all the basics.
It's not one piece of paper, but it's close. I put together a Learning
Wheel as an exercise in Brazil, and all of the concepts of Sign Writing can
be placed on a single disk around 6 inches across, double sided. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Take it as a challenge for yourself, Frank, to create the resource you
need, a simple summary of sign writing, and a set of "convention
lessons". Every teacher teaches differently, take it as a symbol of
trust in the Sign Wriitng community that we will help you edit it, but a
labor of love has far more value than money.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Charles Butler</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<DIV><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>---------------------------
<DIV><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<DIV><BR><B><I>Frank <<A
href="mailto:frankbyrom@isp.com">frankbyrom@isp.com</A>></I></B> wrote:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid">
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT class=Apple-style-span size=3><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11px">Dear Valerie,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT class=Apple-style-span size=3><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11px"> Your work is
unquestionably of value to many of us. It appears to me that a
primary thought concerning learning might help many of us. It
involves answering the questions What do you mean, and how do you write
what you mean? It also involves the way that people learn most
quickly and surely.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT class=Apple-style-span size=3><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11px"> As I scan the letters
forwarded to me, I continually see the questions, " What does that mean
and How do I write this movement? A mother can answer some questions
of this type for her child. Beyond a small family, a single
person canNOT answer all these questions that spring from the
misunderstandings of people, no matter how dedicated that faithful person
may be. I've seen a hundred excited , interested people drop
out of learning Sign for lack of an answer to this basic need in the life
of the learner. These hundred drop outs were the students who began
study of ASL with me. I'm convinced I would have noticed
hundreds of drop outs had I looked farther. The primary thought I
speak of is this:</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT class=Apple-style-span size=3><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11px"> Beyond the physical
needs, Self Image, the need to be, or feel as if we are of value, and
needed by other people is perhaps the greatest need in in our lives.
How do we fill this need? We fill the need by our competance in
doing what we do. Teach a person how t! o say, or sign, "Pass the
butter, How are you, Its Tuesday, etc and you set them up on shifting sand
with a feeling of helplessness. They don't know what to do
next. Each move they make drives them deeper into the sand,
discovering how to say what they want to say costs more than they get by
saying it. In the case of learning a language, only the
person who has the right answers, or a means of independently obtaining
the right answers all the time will learn the language. This applies
to a language which is spoken or written. SignWriting is a written
language.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT class=Apple-style-span size=3><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11px"> Your learners and I
require ALL THE SIGNWRITING SYMBOLS, and ALL THE WRITING CONVENTIONS in
one resource location so we can go to that resource for our
answers. In this resource ALL THE CLEAR DEFINITIONS OF THE SYMBOLS
AND CONVENTIONS need to be with the symbols. Basic English, as I
have said, can be written! on one side of one piece of paper, Dr Stokoe's
notation symbols can also be written on one side of one piece of paper, as
I have demonstrated in my letter to you. Clear definitions of these
symbols, what they mean expressed in lucid sentences or other expressive
manner need to be with the symbols. This will answer the questions
"What do you mean? and How do you write what you mean."
Coequal with this need is the need to have the vocabulary that will say
everything the person wants to day. The 850 english concepts I
cited, the Ogden Basic English, will do the work of 20,000 English
words. These basic concepts and the manner they are drawn in
SignWriting will allow the learner to say and sign what the learner wants
to sign, the way they want to say and sign and write it. The self
image that goes with this competance will power the person to grow in
ability and become what they can be---if they chose to do
this.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT class=Apple-style-span size=3><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11px"> The self Image that flows
from the power of knowing and knowing how to obtain knowledge is the
magic of learning that creates scholars. Some people WILL not be
stopped. Pointing to them is lying in the face of reality. Not
everyone has this drive, and who has it rarely has it in every
direction.</SPAN></FONT><FONT class=Apple-style-span size=3><SPAN
class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"> </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT class=Apple-style-span size=3><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11px"> Admittedly, many of the
850 words I cited have more than one meaning, some have up to 6 or more
meanings. Many of these meanings are signed differently.
Nevertheless, knowing one manner of signing, or writing the
concepts will allow the person to be self expressive-although
sometimes awkwardly to the understanding of a native Deaf ASL
user.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT class=Apple-style-span size=3><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11px"> Love,
Frank</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>