[sw-l] BSL Reading Test :)

[Sandy Fleming]

Charles,

I have actually tried these half-arrowheads and rejected them as not
readable. The trouble is that it _is_ a shorthand device. I write with
Teeline Shorthand sometimes in English and the thing is that after a few
weeks it's labourous to read my own shorthand because shorthand takes
brevity to extremes on the understanding that the writer will get the
shorthand transcribed into a computer while the context is still in his
head. This is suitable for secretarial work and journalism or (in my case)
writing stories away from the computer with a view to typing them in later,
but it's not a proper handwriting system where you can write a letter for
someone else to read.

One thing I find myself naturally doing is not writing the final position in
a sign. The final position seems pointless if the handshape doesn't change
since the movement should indicate it. In many cases even when the handshape
does change that's better expressed as a movement - opening/closing fingers
and suchlike. This is why I often write the handshap change on the arrow -
it shows that the change is executed during the movement. Is this getting
too unconventional? It seems natural and clear to me.

What I was suggesting is just taking it a step further and allowing the
reader's familiarity with the writing system to allow us to just write the
first position in a sign. I believe that given the starting handshapes and
head, many signs can be unambiguously recognised by a reader who knows the
language. It might even be inevitable that people will eventually start
using such signs in writing, ie "I've written the head and hand, why bother
with the movement? What else could it mean?"

Of course, as I said, this wouldn't apply to directional verbs and
classifiers, where the movement carries a great deal of the meaning.

A good word processor might even recognise such input and complete it
automatically from its dictionary.

Sandy


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu
[mailto:owner-sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu]On Behalf Of Charles Butler
Sent: 20 October 2004 13:10
To: sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu
Subject: RE: [sw-l] BSL Reading Test :)


Omitting a movement may not be necessary if you adopt the shorthand written
system (see gif).  It's certainly faster.