Sign Proccessing Software

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
June 15, 2004

SW List, Stephen -
Thanks for these ideas. They are interesting points. The term Sign
Language Processor, was the term we used when we started developing
SignWriter on the Apple 2e and 2c, and later that became SignWriter
DOS. Rich, the programmer-developer, called it a word processor in the
beginning, but then over time, we started calling it a Sign
Processor...Our goal was to create a way to do all those things you
mention below, plus creating a way to type directly in the movements of
signed languages. So the typing of words in spoken languages...that
feature is secondary in SignWriter. People can write words in
SignWriter DOS, either as a gloss under the signs, or in paragraphs of
translation at the end of SignWriting documents, but the goal was to
provide a typewriter for SignWriting. The WORD processing features (for
spoken languaes) are pretty poor, actually, since they were not the
focus. In SignWriter DOS we can cut, copy, paste, find, replace and
adjust signs, while we are typing. We can change between three typing
modes: signs, fingerspelling and words (spoken languages).

Then when the dictionary features were added to SignWriter DOS, that
was a very important historical change, and all of a sudden it was a
Sign Processor with a dictionary. The dictionary is like a miniature
SignWriter, because while in the dictionary you can cut, copy and paste
too. A feature that speeds things, is the fact that you can find a
sign, and then press Return to insert it into your document. That
feature has been both good and bad. It encourages new users to create
documents, and for beginning signwriters it is wonderful. But it also
started the bad habit of searching for signs by typing an English word
in the dictionary, finding the sign and then inserting it without any
facial expressions or other changes that are necessary when really
writing sentences..It also discouraged people from learning how to type
directly in SignWriting. Imagine if when using MicroSoft Word, people
could paste whole English words into documents, rather than typing them
in English...I wonder what would happen to typing skills, if that
happened - ha!

So although I would not take away the ability to find signs with words,
in the dictionary, I think that other ways to search need to be
developed too...such as searching by symbols, as Stuart mentioned, or
also searching by mixtures of symbols, as in SignBank and the Flemish
dictionary.

So in summary, if you define the term Sign Language Processor, as
typing full documents in SignWriting, then I only know of SignWriter
DOS, SignWriter Java and the new SignWriter Tiger, which is still under
development in Switzerland.

But I know the term Sign Language Processing is not always used that
way around the world, so sometimes when people use that term, they are
really referring to the many different computer programs around the
world, no matter how the input is done...

Val ;-)

----------------------

On Jun 13, 2004, at 12:14 PM, Stephen Slevinski wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> Word processing is easy with text.  Spell checking is automatic.
> Grammar
> checking, word use, and sentence structure are all included.
>
> I would like to discuss the state of sign processing.  I know there is
> a lot
> of development going on in the world.
>
> Free Writing is a term used by Peter Elbow.  It means to start writing
> and
> not analyze anything that you write, while you write it.  If you get
> lost in
> a sentence, skip to a new line and continue to write.  There is no
> editing
> when you write, there are only thoughts on the page.  This is a writing
> technique to discover your true voice.  This is not necessarily a speed
> drill, but speed is sometimes needed to keep up with the mind.  Free
> writing
> can be done on paper or with software.
>
> Editing involved cuting and pasting.  It requires rewriting specific
> words,
> sentences, or whole paragraphs.
>
> So what is the best sign processor for free writing?
>
> What is the best sign processor for editing?
>
> What projects do you have your eye on for the future?
>
> Thanks for your input,
> -Stephen Slevinski
>