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Hi list,<br>
Wrist flexes and rotation have been difficult for me up to know.
However the latest discussions here on the list have helped clear a lot
of things up for me. Though some aspects still elude me. This is what
I have come understand and please feel free to let me know if I am
wrong or you feel that I am wrong on any of these issues.<br>
<br>
<b>Rotations</b><br>
<i>General rules</i><br>
<ol>
<li>Rotations have axis-lines around which the hand rotates. The
axis-line goes through the middle finger of the hand. The hand does
not travel around the axis-line as would a normal movement but rather
rotates around it, the axis-line staying static in the center of the
hand.</li>
<li>There are two type of axis-lines. The double-lined axis-line
parallel to the wall plane for a hand that is in the wall plane. The
single-lined axis-line is parallel to the floor plane for hand symbols
that are in the floor plane. <br>
</li>
<li>The rotation arrow is always perpendicular to the axis-line.
That is always around the axis-line.<br>
</li>
<li>Rotations with an arrowhead on the axis-line can travel up or
down the axis line. Rotations cannot travel in any other direction.
Static axis-lines do not have an arrowhead and do not travel in any
direction whatsoever.</li>
<li>The rotation arrow can either represent the curve of the thumb
movement around the axis-line or the curve of the baby finger movement
around the axis-line. <i><b>(I don't know how to distinguish the two,
could someone please help)</b></i></li>
<li>A rotation ALWAYS involves a change of the palm facing if both
the beginning and ending hands where to be written. It however NEVER
changes from one plane to the other. Not only are the beginning and
ending axis-lines are ALWAYS parallel, they are also ALWAYS lined up.<br>
</li>
</ol>
<i>What is confusing about previous explanations</i><br>
<ol>
<li>As Adam has mentioned, <u>"Right. Which is where the confusion
comes in. The definition of the
rotation symbol is that the arm and hand are on the same line. The sign
for wow is not."</u> the axis-line of the hand and the axis-line of the
are not always the same. In the previous explanations they are assumed
to be the same . This is not the case for example if the hand is
flexed 90 degrees from the arm. Contrary to Charles comment, though I
didn´t grasp the last part of his comment, <u>"Then the definition is
wrong. It should follow the ARM rotation
always, that way the movement is consistent. The arm does not travel
which the general travel implies." </u> I think that being that we are
interested mainly in the hand movement and not the arm movement, we
should talk about the axis-line in reference to the hand not the arm.</li>
<li>I have yet to understand which rotations represent the baby
finger and which represent the thumb and which should be used when. I
see there is a reference to the Push-Pull Writing Rules in the chapter
Axial Movement in the Lessons in SignWriting Textbook. But which pages
are they on? Please help me on this one.<br>
</li>
</ol>
<br>
<b>Wrist Flexes</b><br>
<i>General rules<br>
</i>
<ol>
<li>The line going through the middle finger is anchored at the
middle of the wrist line (point of pivot) but describes an arc at the
end of the middle finger.</li>
<li>The line through the middle finger is not drawn on the wrist flex
symbol but rather a line cutting the wrist over which the wrist bends. <br>
</li>
<li>Generally entails flexing the wrist. Sometimes a rotation of the
wrist if it is already bent in regards to the arm.</li>
<li>If the wrist flex movement is in the same plane as the hand,
there is no change in palm facing if the beginning and ending hands are
written. If the wrist flex movement changes from one plane to the
other there is change in palm facing.</li>
<li>The beginning and ending lines through the middle finger are
NEVER parallel that is never along the same line. Both line ALWAYS
have a common point at the middle of the wrist.<br>
</li>
</ol>
<i>What is confusing about previous explanations</i><br>
<ol>
<li>What the line represents in the flex movement symbol. Before, I
could never figure out which way to flop the hand. It seemed logical
to me at the time to try and flop the hand around the line. Which
sometimes made the sign nonsensical. Valerie wrote <u>"In Wrist
Flexes, the wrist is cut by a line, which is the axis...so<br>
the line does not represent the forearm...it is an imaginary line
cutting the wrist...I was wrong before..."</u> I believe this means
like cutting the wrist off the line separating the hand from the
forearm. Yes makes perfect sense for "Yes-Yes". But some signs just
don't make sense if this is the case. <br>
</li>
</ol>
For example: If Yes-Yes <img alt=""
src="cid:part1.05040008.06060504@yahoo.ca" height="76" width="54"> is
actually <img alt="" src="cid:part2.08080404.08070101@yahoo.ca"
height="43" width="68"> <br>
<br>
<br>
Then <img alt="" src="cid:part3.04060908.04000909@yahoo.ca"
height="100" width="90">where the wrist line is not anywhere close to
the wrist. <br>
<br>
<br>
Should be written with all the symbols as <img alt=""
src="cid:part4.06010607.06030008@yahoo.ca" height="50" width="197">
which wouldn't be a wrist flex at all but rather a rotation.<br>
<br>
It seems to me that it would make more sense if it was written as <img
alt="" src="cid:part5.07040200.06020506@yahoo.ca" height="100"
width="90"> But we don't have this a wrist flex symbol. At least I
don't think so.<br>
This is why it is so hard to define this line. It's mean one thing for
Yes-Yes sign but doesn't represent anything for the Wow sign except
that the symbol is a wrist flex.<br>
<br>
<br>
<b><br>
Special cases</b><br>
When there is a rotation and a wrist flex simultaneously.<br>
<img alt="" src="cid:part6.03040304.01030002@yahoo.ca" height="61"
width="71"> Could also be written <img alt=""
src="cid:part7.06080509.09080908@yahoo.ca" height="55" width="49"> but
is much harder to read than just writing the beginning and ending hands.<br>
<br>
<br>
Looking forward to all of your comments.<br>
<br>
Jonathan<br>
<br>
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