Sign Proccessing Software

[Antonio Carlos da Rocha Costa]

Valerie,

  Just a note: I use Sign Language Processing in the same sense that the
term Natural Language Processing is used in Computer Science, that is, to
refer to the area where people look for theories and methods to support the
development of programs that are able to analyze, interprete and translate
sign languages.

  Text editors, dictionaries, etc., I like to refer to as text processing
systems. I consider them to be tools to help Sign Language Processing
programs, but not sign language processors themselves.

  I know this departs from the original sense you and Rich used the term
sign language processors, but it seems it feets more the current academic
terminology.

 All the best,

 Ant ­? io Carlos


  All the best,

  Ant ­? io Carlos


----- Original Message -----
From: "Valerie Sutton" <sutton at SIGNWRITING.ORG>
To: <SW-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA>
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 4:17 PM
Subject: Re: Sign Proccessing Software


> 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
> >