new sign transcription system

[Dan I. SLOBIN]

The Berkeley Sign Language Acquisition Project has developed a system for
transcribing sign language videotapes at the morphological level.  The
system is based on a year's worth of practice in transcribing adult-child
interactions in American Sign Language and Sign Language of the
Netherlands.  We believe it is applicable to other sign languages as
well.  Brian MacWhinney has just placed the system on the CHILDES website:
http://childes.psy.cmu.edu/sign.pdf -- we encourage you to examine it.

This is still work in progress, and we look forward to feedback in
further development and application of the system.  Our goal is to have a
standard means of transcribing signed utterances, meeting the following
objectives:
        - compatability with CHAT format and CLAN programs
        - linear representation on a continuous typed line, using
          only ASCII characters
        - consistently morphological representation (avoiding both
          phonological representation and glosses in English or
          other spoken languages)
        - full representation of elements of polymorphemic verbs
        - representation of manual and non-manual elements
        - representation of gaze direction, role shift, visual attention
        - representation of gestures and other communicative acts
        - notation of characteristics of adult-child interaction
          (child-directed signing, errors, overlap, self-correction)

The system is the joint product of Michelle Anthony, Yael Biederman, Nini
Hoiting, Marlon Kuntze, Reyna Lindert, Jennie Pyers, Dan Slobin, Helen
Thumann, and Amy Weinberg.  Please send comments and suggestions to
slobin at cogsci.berkeley.edu

Dan Slobin and Nini Hoiting
Sign Language Acquisition Project
Child Language Research Laboratory
Institute of Human Development
1203 Tolman #1690
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-1690
USA