SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT: Symmetry of the Circle Hand

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
October 16, 2003

Daniel Noelpp wrote:
> I have the idea of indicating the thumb with a mark. Why? Because
> the problem with the Circle Hand is only a very clear example. There
> are many other symmetric symbols. Examples are: Flat Hand (01-05-007),
> Middle Finger (01-08-006) no wonder that an insult makes me problems,
> Thumb (01-10-001) and Fist (01-10-008), and probably others.

The middle finger pointing straight up is not an insult in all
cultures, Daniel. When writing Hong Kong Sign Language, the
middle-finger-up handshape is used a great deal... to mean brother and
other members of the family...it is a good handshape in Eastern
cultures...it is only an insult in western cultures...so the handshapes
are used all over the world for different reasons...so that is why we
have such a large symbol set...

And regarding thumb marks...of course in the very largest symbolset you
could have the thumb crossing over, or under the other fingers in the
fist, with a line across the square for the fist (not to the side
;-)...unless you wanted the thumb to be to the side...there are
literally hundreds of variations of possible thumb positions...but so
what? Thousands of people write with the symbols exactly as they are,
and they do not need the thumb there. The thumb is assumed to be
crossing over the fingers in the fist, when no thumb is written...so
there are rules governing how these symbols look...Val ;-)