<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">I think there are two reasons why you will find documents that are written horizontally. The first is that before SignPuddle, there was no way to write vertically. This is the case with the Brazil document that you were referring to which was written with an older program, SignWriter DOS. The second reason is the one that Steve talked about in the interview with Gerard on his blog. Here is the part where he mentions this:<div><p></p><blockquote type="cite"><p><strong>In the latest SignPuddle, you can write from right to left. What is the advantage of this?</strong></p><p>Horizontal SignWriting is primarily for writing translations between spoken and signed languages.</p><p>When SignWriting is used in schools, in bilingual education, writing
horizontally is useful for translating spoken language texts into
written sign languages, helping the Deaf student learn both languages.
Since western spoken languages are written from left to right, placing
the SignWriting text above the written spoken language sentences is a
tool for bilingual reading and comparison. Although some grammar details
are lost in Horizontal Writing, it offers other benefits as a bridge
between languages.</p><p>Now with SignPuddle 2, writers can choose vertical and horizontal writing depending on their needs.</p></blockquote><div>So basically the second reason is that people wanted to have written signs with spoken words to show both languages. Having said that, I think in most cases people prefer to write vertically when writing only in the various sign languages because it is best in showing the full grammatical usage that are used with sign languages. I hope that helped. ;-)</div><div><br></div><div>Adam</div><div><br></div><div><div>On Jun 1, 2012, at 4:20 PM, MARIA GALEA wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>Thank you Adam, Kim and Val!<br>I'm asking mainly because it is unclear to me who uses vertical and<br>horizontal. I can see that in Brazil they use horizontal ? Or maybe the<br>bible excerpts are old?<br><br><a href="http://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs5/sw0459-BRBible-Textos-Biblicos-LIBRAS.pdf">http://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs5/sw0459-BRBible-Textos-Biblicos-LIBRAS.pdf</a><br><br>also Spanish sign language - there are stories in vertical writing here.<br><br>http://www.signwriting.org/library/children/<br><br><br>thanks everyone...look forward to more answers..<br>maria<br><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting List<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">June 1, 2012<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Hello Maria and everyone -<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Perhaps you would be interested in reading Steve Slevinski's interview,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">which mentions the different reasons for writing vertically and<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">horizontally. I can post excerpts about the differences in a later<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">message.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Towards a Wikipedia for signed languages<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://blog.wikimedia.org/2012/06/01/towards-a-wikipedia-for-signed-languages/<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Meanwhile, here is my survey:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">1. American Sign Language (the best I can anyway) (or any other sign<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">language transcribed from video)<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">2. vertical<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Thank you for this survey, Maria!<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Val ;-)<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">----------<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">On Jun 1, 2012, at 1:01 PM, MARIA GALEA wrote:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Dear friends all over the globe,<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Would really appreciate if you could reply to these two questions -<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">1. your sign language?<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">2. preference vertical or horizontal writing?<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">Just to lead the way, my ans would be<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">1. maltese sign language (LSM)<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">2. vertical<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">THANK YOU!<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite">maria<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">------<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Val ;-)<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Valerie Sutton<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting List moderator<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">sutton@signwriting.org<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Post Messages to the SignWriting List:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">sw-l@listserv.valenciacollege.edu<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting List Archives & Home Page<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://www.signwriting.org/forums/swlist<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Join, Leave or Change How You Receive SW List Messages<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://listserv.valenciacollege.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=SW-L&A=1<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Read & Write Sign Languages<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://www.SignWriting.org<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignPuddle Online<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Write SignWriting in the Clouds!<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Documents, Dictionaries, SignMail<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://www.signbank.org/signpuddle<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting Wiki<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Wiki-style Articles in Sign Languages<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://www.signbank.org/wiki<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting List<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Technical Support: Ask questions...<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://www.SignWriting.org/forums/swlist<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting Literature Project<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Writing Literature in Sign Languages<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://www.SignWriting.org/literature<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting Encyclopedia Projects<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Writing Encyclopedias in Sign Languages<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://www.SignWriting.org/encyclopedia<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting Sponsors Forum<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Help Educational Non-Profit Organization<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://www.SignWriting.org/forums/sponsors<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting Shop<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Books, DVDs, Lessons, Services<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://www.SignWriting.org/shop<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Deaf Action Committee For SignWriting<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Center For Sutton Movement Writing<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">a US educational nonprofit organization<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">PO Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038, USA<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Tel: 858-456-0098 Skype: valeriesutton<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting on Twitter<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://twitter.com/signwriting<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting on YouTube<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://youtube.com/signwriting<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">SignWriting on Facebook<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://facebook.com/SignWriting<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><br></div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>