wiksign, a collaborativ french sign language dictionnary

[Stuart Thiessen]

Personally, I prefer notation systems because they provide a handy way  
to reference a sign mentally. For raw data, video is wonderful and  
unsurpassed in details (if filmed right). But a notation of the sign  
helps to grab the important information about the articulators so that  
I have something to look at without having to use spoken language to  
describe or identify it. Granted, all notation systems have  
assumptions that will not grab all the details of a sign to the same  
degree as a video. But isn't that true of any notation system whether  
for spoken or sign languages? Does a spoken notation manage all the  
details of audio raw data? Similarly, I don't think that expectation  
should limit the use of notation systems.

Admittedly, I prefer SignWriting. I haven't seen anything yet that  
matches its flexibility in terms of notation. And, frankly, I continue  
to be perplexed why it faces so much opposition when notation systems  
do not even appear to be an issue in spoken linguistics (at least as  
far as I have encountered it). (For the record, I'm not focused here  
on the issue of using it as a regular orthography for everyday use.)

But for the purposes of a database, how difficult is it really to  
include notations in a database using several of the major notation  
systems (SignWriting, HamNoSys, Stokoe, etc.)? Those who utilize the  
notations in their research can have that opportunity without  
necessarily requiring anyone to embrace any particular notation system  
at this time. I'm sure there is a wonderful research opportunity for  
those who are interested in computers and database storage of sign  
language data to work with the advocates of various notation systems  
to come up with a "plug-in" that can make it easy for data to be  
entered in a given notation system and append it easily to a web-base  
database and display it upon request. That shouldn't be too hard. Even  
XML could be a way to store the relevant notation data. It adds a  
little more work to the database, but I think it is worth the effort  
and allows various perspectives of the sign.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

Thanks,

Stuart Thiessen

On 11 Apr 2008, at 10:43 , Kathy H. wrote:

> In response to questions about annotating or transcribing the signs  
> on wiki-sign sites (Asian, French, etc.)--
>
> I suppose that the point in providing transcription for signs would  
> be to clarify details that might not be clear in the videos.  The  
> French signs were described verbally.  However, if the viewer cannot  
> read French, then the description does not help.
>
> In like manner, though, if the signs were transcribed in some  
> notation system, well, there is no "universal" transcription system  
> for signed languages.  There would still be viewers who could not  
> understand the notation.  What "language" (written words of which  
> spoken language, which written notation) should be used?
>
> I suppose to answer that question, it would be necessary to know who  
> would be the most frequent user of the sites.
>
> Also, as soon as one starts encoding a sign (or even describing it  
> verbally), theoretical assumptions start to come into play.  That  
> would potentially skew someone else's consideration or analysis of  
> the data, through the influence of the transcription, however  
> inadvertant that influence might be.
>
> How much would these signs be used in actual research, though?
>
> Kathy H.
>
>
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