Research Project on SignWriting...

[Stuart Thiessen]

Here is my 2 cents worth on ideology, etc .... (this is from an U.S. Deaf
perspective) ...

I have been observing this issue for probably 15 years now.  I was actually
introduced to SignWriting by an opponent who was trying to show me how
"silly" the system was in the first place. Instead, I became fascinated with
the concept.  Of course, you have to understand that I have a basic belief
that all languages can be written if they are true natural languages. If it
cannot be written, then I can't conceive of it as a true natural language.
The two cannot be separated in my mind.

Initially, I preferred a linear approach much like Stokoe and SignFont
systems, but found that they are cumbersome to memorize. Those systems (as
you may or may not know) tend to label certain "slots" in the "word" to mean
hand orientation or part of the body or movement or some parameter of the
sign. This meant that you sometimes had to do weird things if the order did
not fit a certain sign since they were intending a universal linguistic
analysis of the signs. If something didn't fit the system, then it was
difficult to write.  Additionally, these systems did not take into
consideration facial expressions, body movements, mime that is inserted into
signing segments, etc.

The more I looked at things the more I found SignWriting to be more
appropriate as a writing system particularly since it focused on movement
rather than linguistic analysis.  It left it up to me, the user, to
determine the level of detail I needed. That was a very helpful feature in
my mind. Naturally, as time goes on, there will become writing conventions
that may "lock down" some of those freedoms (much like English eventually
locked down the spelling to a standard).  However, at this stage, that
freedom is helpful for even understanding certain linguistic issues of
signing and exactly how much needs to be written to be understood. Also, the
vertical writing, the inclusion of things that ASL users have always said is
important to our language, among other things all pointed to a deaf-friendly
system rather than a researcher-friendly system. Those were probably the
selling point to me.

As I have observed deaf in my community, I have several different reactions.
Most of the ones who have "mastered" or feel they understand English well
are resistant or ambivalent to SignWriting because they have already
invested their skills in English.  They do not see the benefit of investing
in written ASL.  For those who struggle with English or don’t feel as
skilled in English, they seem excited or open to SignWriting because it is
another tool for them to express themselves.  For some English users, I
personally sense a feeling as if SignWriting threatens their political or
social power in the community as majority language users. That extra power
they have through having skills in the majority language might be threatened
if they didn't have "one up" on other deaf people.

For others, I sense that they feel their language is not good enough to be a
written standard or they have accepted the majority language philosophy that
says any second language will only detract from learning the majority
language.  As I understand the research, if a mother tongue language program
is established properly, it can be more effective to teach in the mother
tongue and then in the majority language. Most majority speakers feel
threatened by the idea of people not learning things in the majority
language and so impose the majority language as the language of instruction
(i.e., the English-only movements in the U.S.)

Those are the ideas I get at this point. More than anything, I think I see
deaf waiting to see others use it and to see quality materials produced in
ASL using SignWriting. If enough people will have the "guts" to use it as a
natural part of their everyday life, then I think we will see the system
sell itself in its use. Its weakenesses will crop up but then the users of
the system will band together to iron any out and make it that much more
useful. I see that more and more through the list.  I'm excited about the
potential of SignWriting and feel its time is coming and it may become more
well-known as we list members use it and share it with others.

I can comment more, but I will just stop here for now.

Thanks,

Stuart Thiessen

> -----Original Message-----
> From: SignWriting List [mailto:SW-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA] On 
> Behalf Of Erika Hoffmann
> Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2003 15:45
> To: SW-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA
> Subject: Re: Research Project on SignWriting...
> 
> 
> I'm also starting a paper (for a class on language 
> ideologies) that also will
> address possible reasons that Signwriting has been in large 
> part rejected or
> ignored by the Deaf community so far. I'm a graduate student 
> in linguistic
> anthropology.
> I'm wondering if Adam or any one else on the list might have 
> thoughts about why
> that is. Since I'm looking at ideologies (ideas, not 
> necessarily facts), I'm
> curious about the kind of ideas about language, literacy, 
> community, social
> differentiation, etc. that might be circulating in the deaf 
> community and might
> be having an effect here.
> Also, I was really interested in Joe Martin's paper about the 
> manner in which
> signwriting pushes the limits of traditional linguistics...it 
> made me wonder if
> others might take that fact as deligitimizing Signwriting, 
> rather than as
> highlighting areas in which linguistic research needs to grow...?
> Finally, can anyone direct me to a resource for finding out 
> specificaly what
> anti-signwriting individuals themselves have to say about it?
> Thanks,
> Erika Hoffmann
> 
> Quoting Valerie Sutton <Sutton at SIGNWRITING.ORG>:
> 
> > SignWriting List
> > November 1, 2003
> >
> > Adam Frost, from Granada Hills, California, wrote:
> >
> >  >>I am doing a research project in my class about sign 
> writing -- more
> > specifically on why it doesn't seem to be strong in the 
> Deaf Community.
> > Because when I talk with my friends, of whom are Deaf, they have no
> > clue what it is and/or don't think it is a good thing. I don't
> > understand that.
> > I guess I should give a background on myself. I was born 
> Deaf. I have a
> > hard time expressing myself in english. I know it doesn't look that
> > way, but it takes me a long time to put everything in order 
> the way I
> > want to say it. My search for a way to write sign started 
> when I came
> > across "The Green Book." I didn't like how it used english words to
> > write what sign. Because of the great determination that I had, I
> > started making a method of my own. This was for about 3 years. I ran
> > into a few problems. I was stuck. Then I mistakenly came across your
> > webpage. My method was almost exactly the same, except 
> yours was more
> > developed. Plus yours had a computer program with it. :) So 
> as you can
> > see, I am very excited about this. However, I have been finding out
> > that many don't share that same excitement. That is why I 
> am doing this
> > research: to find out why. If you can help me with this, I would
> > appreciate it.
> >
> > |    |
> >   ! !  /
> > Adam
> >
>