Do you want these handshapes in the IMWA?

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
May 10, 2004

Dear SW List, Mohamed, Charles, Ingvild and Dan!
Thanks for your feedback. The IMWA is like a big closet, filled with 
symbols that signers around the world might use....but as Ingvild 
mentioned...not all of them are really necessary for daily use, since 
writing conventions and standardization will replace the need for so 
many symbols. So the purpose of the IMWA is to create a database that 
makes it possible for researchers to choose what handshapes they need 
to write with...but many of the symbols will never be used too...

The problem is, that there are around 20 Rootshapes. What is a 
Rootshape? It is the base or the bottom of the hand symbol. For 
example, the square symbol for the fist is the Rootshape for the Index 
handshape...the Index finger itself is called an Action Finger. Action 
Fingers are the focus of the handshape. They provide the meaning...so 
the Rootshapes are not nearly as important...They are just the root to 
the tree, and the Action Fingers are the branches that everyone looks 
at...I will provide a diagram shortly...

But with sooo many possible Rootshapes, just the Index Finger alone 
could have 20 different variations! And each of those 25 handshapes 
have all 96 flops and rotations...can you imagine how many symbols we 
are talking about? smile...

So, I have an idea...I am thinking of maybe placing just the BaseSymbol 
for all those possible variations, into a chart. People can look at the 
chart to find a variation needed, and then, if that choice is not 
officially in the IMWA database with all 96 flops and rotations, at 
least the handshape will have a number to refer to, and they can write 
to me and ask me to officially place it in the IMWA database...

More soon about this...Thanks again for your feedback and we have just 
begun this conversation!!

Val ;-)

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Mohamed Mahmod wrote:
> the 10th handshape  is used as a sign of letter Q nbsp; tua in arabic 
> sign language

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> Charles Butler wrote:
> I've seen number 9 on some charts at Deaf Way, and I
> think doubled it may be used for "snorkel".


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Ingvild Roald wrote:
> In Norway, no. 5 is the 'official' way of doing the international X, 
> but
> as both thumb-under and thumb-over is seen as the same in this 
> handshape,
> where the index is the important one....continues