Search-Routines for Minimal Pairs

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
May 14, 2004

Dear SW List and Stuart!
Thank you for this message below, Stuart, which you wrote some time
ago. It is very interesting information about minimal pairs, which I
knew nothing about.

I have good news! SignBank has very sophisticated search routines
programmed into the program already. So as soon as we have more signs
in SignBank, the search-routines will become very useful. The SignBank
search routines are in the Portal, SignBank 8-14. I will show you a
diagram in the next message....

Meanwhile, I bet other software developers are also building such
searches into their software. For example the Belgian Online
SignWriting Dictionary can search for all the signs with one or more
handshapes...maybe they have other search-routines too, I don't know...

Val ;-)

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


On May 3, 2004, at 4:19 PM, Stuart Thiessen wrote:

> A minimal pair is a lingistic term for a pair of words (or a pair of
> signs) that are only different in one way.  For English, a minimal pair
> might be _car_ and _care_, or _care_ and _pear_ or _cat_ and _bat_,
> etc.
>  In ASL, SOON and TRAIN are different based on the orientation of the
> hands.
>
> I am not sure if SMILE and ANNOUNCE are actually minimal pairs because
> there are actually two differences between the signs.  ANNOUNCE has no
> rub and moves forward and to the side.  SMILE has rub and moves in an
> arc up.
>
> But minimal pairs are very very helpful for teaching writing, so it
> would be good to make a list of minimal pair signs because they are
> good
> key signs for teaching reading and writing.
>
> This is another feature that would be very helpful for a dictionary if
> it could identify signs which are identical except for one parameter.
> It would allow researchers to quickly identify potential minimal pairs.
>  Of course, different spellings might cause the program to miss
> potential  minimal pairs, but that could be worked around I suppose.
> Just a thought that occurred to me.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Stuart
>
>
> Valerie Sutton wrote:
>
>> SignWriting List
>> May 3, 2004
>>
>> Hello Charles -
>> What is a minimal pair? And why would SMILE and ANNOUNCE be a mimimal
>> pair?
>>
>> Val ;-)
>>
>> ---------------------
>>
>>
>> On May 3, 2004, at 3:21 PM, Charles Butler wrote:
>>
>>> Well, "smile" and "announce" make a good "minimal pair" then.  Would
>>> be a good example for an advanced SW textbook.  All of us tend to
>>> "think in what we know" rather than actually "read" a sign.
>>>
>>> Charles
>>>
>>>
>>> Valerie Sutton <sutton at SIGNWRITING.ORG> wrote:
>>> SignWriting List
>>> May 3, 2004
>>>
>>> Bill Reese wrote:
>>> > I had a little trouble with "Announcing".  I don't think that's
>>> what
>>>  > you are saying but I don't know ASL enough to know what else that
>>>  > movement may mean. Bill
>>>
>>>
>>> Hello Everyone, and Bill, and Stefan!
>>> Thanks for reading my email in ASL signs, Bill. You did a great job!
>>>  Everything was perfect except for the one sign....
>>>
>>> I am no great expert on ASL either! I prepared that email on the PUDL
>>>  site, using English glosses...
>>>
>>> Stefan guessed correctly...I was trying to write the sign for
>>>  SMILE...it was rubbing in the mouth area, where the sign for
>>> ANNOUNCE
>>>  moves forward without any symbols for rubbing...Please see the
>>>  attached:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> > ATTACHMENT part 2 image/png x-mac-type=504E4766; x-unix-mode=0644;
>>> x-mac-creator=3842494D; name=announce-smile.png
>>
>>
>>
>>
>