[sw-l] Do we have these handshapes

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
October 17, 2004

Sandy Fleming wrote:
> Do we have the handshapes? Does the fact that these are only used in a
> few
> signs mean that we should make do with a near approximation?
>
> (And yes, it is my hand. And yes, I'm a man, not a woman as some of
> you seem
> to believe :)

Hello Everyone, and Sandy!
Generally in the US, Sandy is a short name for Sandra, which is a
female name, but I can imagine that in the UK, names are
different...smile...maybe we should all post photos of ourselves -
smile...then we would know! Without photos, cyberspace knows no gender
...So I am sorry, Sandy, I did assume incorrectly...

Actually Valerie is a male name in Russia...so there are some who
assume I am a man! There was a famous male ballet dancer from Russia
named Valerie Panov, for example...;-)

Now, regarding the three handshapes. We do have the last one.
Handshapes in the IMWA are categorized by the lowest finger...and in
that last one, the baby finger is down and bending...so it is placed on
Group 01-06, for handshapes that involve the baby finger. Please see
attached diagram. The other two I will need to discuss later.... they
look very similar to me...and you are right..it is much better to write
with one symbol if you can...although the IMWA might hold lots of
different nuances, that does not mean it is best to write with so many
symbols...all daily writing systems hone the symbols down to a few
rather than a lot...We don't use the IPA (International Phonetic
Alphabet) to write English in these email messages, for example:



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