[sw-l] BSL Reading Test :)

[dparvaz at MAC.COM]

> 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.

Such a scheme absolutely makes sense when writing a particular sign
language for other signers of the same language to read. In fact, I
recall Valerie saying that such "simplifications" ought to be
inevitable as more people use SW on a daily basis.

Interestingly (to me, anyway!), Don Newkirk had anticipated the very
simplification Sandy suggested in his "proposed orthography" for ASL,
which was based on ASCII-only characters (thus terrible at capturing
iconicity), but which did form the basis for SignFont. Anyway, it's of
historical significance now:

http://tinyurl.com/5j3h6

Cheers,

Dan.
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