AW: [sw-l] PHILIPPINES SignWriting Report

Wed Feb 2 07:52:56 UTC 2005

Dear SW List and Val!
Thanks for your praise, Val :-). I do want to post some more FSL signs for
the list, but it will need to be a little later. The next 4 – 6 weeks will
be very busy as we are preparing for a three month leave – going to Austria
and Romania. My husband needs to check our latest translation with the deaf
and I have to prepare my first ever power point presentation (besides
teaching our children and several other „hats“). But I will keep it in mind
and hopefully closer to leaving here or after we arrive in Austria I will
take the time to post several signs.

About sign puddle: I never got into it, because of our phone connections
(you guess was correct, Val :-)). I cannot do things if I need to stay
on-line for more than 10 – 20 minutes maximum. But I do hope to find some
time to look into it while in Austria. Then I will at least have an idea
what everyone is talking about :-). But if I understand correctly you could
just create a Filippino Signpuddle now and I (or whoever) can add signs
later on? I do believe I already sent you several „geography signs“ for the
Philippines a while back. I am attaching them again. Maybe that would be
enough to get it started? – so as an answer to your question, Val: yes, I
would like for you to set up a FSL (Filippino Sign Language) signpuddle.
Thank you!

Greetings from the Philippines,
Nana

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: Valerie Sutton [mailto:sutton at signwriting.org]
Gesendet: Samstag, 29. Jänner 2005 11:58
An: sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu
Betreff: [sw-l] PHILIPPINES SignWriting Report

SignWriting List
January 28, 2005

Dear SW List and Nana!
Thank you for this excellent report! Your work in the Philippines is really
impressive, considering all the obstacles and problems you face...Can you
share your current SignWriting dictionary with us? I know it is not
finished, but it would be great to see some of your signs...maybe we can
give you some feedback on the SignSpellings...we are all editing our
dictionaries right now.

Regarding a new computer...well....yes...everyone knows I personally love
the Macintosh, and here in the US at least, the prices for Macs are going
down now, but even so...any new computer will be a blessing. SignWriter DOS
works best on old computers...on Windows 95 or 98. If you get a Mac or
Windows XP, you will have to run SignWriter DOS on a Windows 98
emulator...It all depends on how much you are using your new computer for
SignWriter...

By the way, Nana...Have you seen the Sign Puddle dictionaries on the web?

http://www.SignBank.org/signpuddle

We could create a Filippino Sign Language section on the web for you, but
you will need to access the internet, and I know that is sometimes
problematic in the Philippines, so there will be a version you can use on
your computer desktop later, and when that is ready, that will be another
program you can use...If you would like a Filipino Sign Puddle, just tell
us, and we will create it for you...

Best of luck with your work in the Philippines! And I hope you can share
some of your signs with our List!... Val ;-)

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

PHILIPPINES SignWriting Report
<?fontfamily><?param Helvetica><?color><?param 0000,0000,0000>From:
<?/color><?/fontfamily><?fontfamily><?param
Helvetica>nana.dumitra at schlossklaus.at
<?color><?param 0000,0000,0000>Date: <?/color><?color><?param
0000,0000,0000><?/color>January 23, 2005

<?/fontfamily><?fontfamily><?param Arial><?bigger>Greetings from the
Philippines! You have not heard from me in a long time, but we are still
here and still busy. Our dictionary of FSL (Filipino SL) in SW is slowly
growing, we have started to teach more deaf how to use it etc. but our main
focus is on teaching deaf leaders of 4 churches and working on translation
(parts of the Bibel into FSL using SW). This we do in cooperation with
SIL/Wycliff Bible translators. Just this past week my husband was able to
attend a seminar on FSL taught by the PFD (Philippine Federation for the
Deaf). They did a lot of research on FSL and have now presented their paper,
which is very impressive – proves FSL as being a true language and gives a
lot of good information about deaf culture etc. The only draw back is that
they don’t want to consider SW (we found out that they have strong
connections to Gallaudet and so they are more into Stokoe
<?/bigger><?/fontfamily><?fontfamily><?param
Helvetica><?bigger>J<?/bigger><?/fontfamily><?fontfamily><?param
Arial><?bigger>). Still, it is a good contact and we pray that the future
will show that more and more deaf will be interested in SW – probably more
in the provinces, where many deaf don’t know English at all or just very
little, PFD is mostly in Manila and there many deaf have a better command of
English. One thing that was very interesting from their research: Bicol, the
area we are living and working in is the one region of the Philippines that
has hardly been influenced by ASL and so “our” signs here are the most
“traditional” FSL.

In March or April our organisation will buy a new laptop for our work. Can
you give us some suggestions as to what would be good to look at in order to
be able to use it well for SW? I recall some mails that Mac would be better,
but is more expensive (which is definitly an issue for our organisation).
What kind or operating system, programs, memory, speed etc. should we look
at to make it as “good” as possible for SW? I don’t understand all the
computer issues, but if you give me some ideas then our computer guys in
Austria will have a better idea what to look for.

Thank you so much,
Nana in the Philippines<?/bigger><?/fontfamily>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/sw-l/attachments/20050202/ead449b2/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Phil-Geographie.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 5742 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/sw-l/attachments/20050202/ead449b2/attachment.gif>