Discussion question

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
February 23, 2004

Stuart Thiessen wrote:
> So are there any significant parallels between SignWriting and MCE's?
> Nothing really in my opinion.  They just happened to be developed
> around the same timeframe, but one (MCE's) emphasizes the spoken
> language and the hearing expectation for deaf to become hearing.  The
> other (SW) values sign language and provides a medium for deaf people
> to express themselves within their own language and culture with the
> potential of also increasing their ability to communicate in the
> national written language as bridges are built between the written form
> of sign language and the written form of the spoken language.


Dear SW List, ReBecca and Stuart!
Thank you for your excellent write-up, Stuart. Your perspective, as a
Deaf person, is very important...And you are right, there is no
comparison between MCE and SignWriting....I feel the comparison is
actually more rediculous...like comparing apples with
automobiles....they are not even in the same category...

MCE is an attempt at language, although not one I personally would want
to use with my Deaf child.

SignWriting is not a language at all. It is just a bunch of symbols...a
movement alphabet...

Alphabets are not languages, but just tools to write languages...So
SignWriting writes pure ASL, if the writer knows pure ASL...;-)

Val ;-)