[sw-l] Rules, Guidelines, Choices and Policies ;-)

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
February 11, 2005

Dear SW List Members!
It is such a pleasure to share with you...I am going to start teaching
Writing Rules again now, but before I do, I think we should start using
these terms ...it will help us communicate...I see a difference between
these terms:

1. Writing Rules
For example...
All arrowheads are black, when the right hand moves...
All arrowheads are white, when the left hand moves...
These rules are related to the symbols themselves...

2. SignSpelling Guidelines
The SignSpelling Guidelines Manual explains how to look up signs in
dictionaries by Sign-Symbol-Sequence. It provides the rules behind why
one symbol comes before another, when sorting dictionaries by SSS. It
also discusses Sign-Syllables and how SignSpellings are BOTH sequential
and simultaneous.

3. SignSpelling Choices
Suggestions for different spellings that are all correct by the Writing
Rules, but the choice of which spelling is flexible...and different
people will choose differently

4. SignSpelling Policies
One culture, or one group, chooses one spelling and requires that
everyone uses that one spelling...They choose their own policies based
on their language or based on the purpose of their project...but since
sign languages are so different in different parts of the world, one
culture has to accept that another culture might choose other
policies...

So I will be teaching number 1 above...Writing Rules for the
Symbols...I will leave the choices and policies to all of you!

Val ;-)