PUDL: Graphs with 40 Group Symbols...tiers of visual choices...

[Valerie Sutton]

March 22, 2004
SignWriting List

Stephen Slevinski wrote:
> Thanks for the improved SSS-US.  I have updated my site to use the new
> SSS-US.  And you are correct.  If you want to create a lot of signs
> quickly,
> use SignWriter Dos or Java.  My tool is point and click.  It is easy,
> but
> slow.  It will not replace a well designed program that uses a keyboard
> layout.  However, you do not need to use the XY coordinates.  They are
> only
> offered for fine tuning a sign.

Hello Everyone, and Stephen...
Thanks for this message. Wow. You replaced the old set with the new set
very quickly. Thank you!

And you are right, that your tool has potential and is a good way to
encourage visitors to use your site, and to add to the dictionary...So
when I explain some of this, please know I do not expect
anything...Just some thoughts on my part...

I have been working on two symbolsets, as you know....the most detailed
SSS-2004, that has every symbol in the whole writing system, and
then....attempting a simplified symbolset, the SSS-US...but you can see
that I am not done with that work, and the SSS-2004 is not ready for
others to use yet...I have at least 2 months full time work on that to
complete it...so hopefully, around May 30th, the time of the Software
developer's conference in Lisbon...I will have the SSS-2004 ready for
download too...

But going back to the SSS-US...I can tell you a design that I would
find easier for your web-clicking program.... Instead of giving people
a pull-down menu with long lists of English words...which not everyone
will be able to read, if they are not English-reading people....plus
there are so many to choose from too, that it can become
overwhelming...

So can you give them a visual display of the symbols to click on from
the beginning? Let me explain...

Create a chart with 40 squares, which should be available immediately
when they enter the Create page, right near the empty box (for them to
add symbols to)...You could still have a pull-down menu with English
words if you want, but that probably would rarely be used...

How would this work?...The chart with 40 squares will have the visual
symbols inside them...The basic 40 Symbol Groups of the SSS-US...Then,
when they click on one of the 40 group symbols, the Symbol Graph will
change to the BaseSymbols that belong to the group...And then, once
they click on a BaseSymbol, they can then access all the rotations and
flops for that one BaseSymbol...so they will have access to tiers of
symbols that way, all in visual graphs, and they will not be required
to use English and to know my terminology for the
symbols...afterall...when we type, we type and write visually and
directly in SignWriting, without the need for any spoken language.

To download the 40 symbol groups and 200 BaseSymbols....

Go to http://www.SignBank.org/symbolbank

Download documents 3 and 4 on that page:

3. SSS-US 40 Symbol Groups
4. SSS-US 200 BaseSymbols

Val ;-)