[sw-l] Hinge Hand 01-05-036 and PUDL

[Charles Butler]

Well, I'm proposing that we may want to have guidelines for public dictionaries, as opposed to "citation cards".
 
Right now, PUDL has "citation cards"; exactly the way that Webster's collects information.  You show a "word" in context, which in this case may be "left-handed" and when you create a dictionary, you must, if it is to be an exhaustive dictionary, show both left and right-handed variants.  Else, how is one to "look up" a sign if all you have is the right hand sign, and what is shown is the left-handed variant.  How are you to "proof" that you have spelled it correctly, if it is flopped to the opposite hand.
 
For me, the IMWA should parallel the IPA.  The IPA allows one to "exactly" reproduce the sounds of the human voice, no matter how complicated.  If I write an utterance in IMWA, then I better be consistent with left and right hands, unless the signer themselves switches back and forth in the same narrative.  
 
If I am reading back a publication, my job as an editor is to note "variant" spellings and check with the signer to ensure that they wrote what they meant to sign.
 
Charles


Valerie Sutton <sutton at signwriting.org> wrote:
SignWriting List
July 12, 2004

On Jul 12, 2004, at 8:39 AM, Charles Butler wrote:
> A dictionary, for me, should at least be consistent in the use of the 
> left or right hand for display purposes unless signing with the left 
> or right hand actually changes the meaning of the sign, which, at 
> least for now, I have not yet found an example of the same sign using 
> either hand as dominant meaning something different.

Dear SW List and Charles -
As a dictionary creator, of course you had to develop your own 
guidelines for your specific dictionaries. But other dictionary 
creators may not follow those guidelines..

Since reading a left-handed signer is the same experience as reading a 
right-handed signer, in everyday conversations, it doesn't bother me 
personally if a sign is left-handed or right-handed in a 
dictionary...And in a public dictionary such as the PUDL dictionary, it 
is bound to have differences like that...without knowing or following 
any specific guidelines...So I guess you can't expect all dictionaries 
to be exactly like yours...

There are also mistakes in every dictionary in the world...no matter 
what the language...and some of those mistakes are not really mistakes, 
but different interpretations...so you can only be responsible for your 
own dictionary...and other dictionaries may have variations...

I have to get back to the IMWA, or we will never have standardization...

But I am glad that the List is working so well...and I hope you all 
will keep posting messages, with or without me!

Val ;-)


Valerie Sutton
Sutton at SignWriting.org

1. SignWritingSite
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Read & Write Sign Languages

2. SignBankSite
http://www.SignBank.org
Sign Language Dictionaries

3. SymbolBank
http://www.SignBank.org/symbolbank
Symbol Archive For Entire System

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