[sw-l] SSS and IMWA

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
March 30, 2005

Hello Everyone, Lucyna and Charles!
Well explained, Charles...wow...that was well written!!

In summary, Lucyna...

INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT WRITING ALPHABET (IMWA)
Sutton  Movement  Writing is the  International Movement Writing 
Alphabet (the IMWA). It is used to record all human and animal gesture. 
The IMWA can be compared to the International Phonetic Alphabet for 
spoken languages, but instead, the IMWA records the details of 
movement-based-languages. Since it is such a large and broad-based 
writing system, Sutton Movement Writing has been specified for five 
separate movement fields:  SignWriting, for writing the movements of 
Sign Languages, DanceWriting, for writing dance choreography,  
MimeWriting, for writing classic mime, SportsWriting, for writing ice 
skating and gymnastics routines, and MovementWriting, for writing all 
gesture.

SIGN-SYMBOL-SEQUENCE
The Sign-Symbol-Sequence (SSS) is the sequence of the currently-used 
symbolset within one computer program. Some computer programs have a 
limited number of symbols. The Sign-Symbol-Sequence gives each symbol 
an Identification Number, which then is used to help sort dictionaries 
by SignWriting symbols.

These are the symbolsets used in different computer programs:

SSS-1995 is the symbolset used in SignWriter DOS (it was developed in 
1995)
SSS-1999 is the symbolset used in SignWriter Java (developed in 1999)
SSS-2002 is the symbolset used in other programs (developed in 2002)
SSS-IMWA is the sequence of symbols in the IMWA, and is used in 
SignPuddle and SignBank

Hope this helps....If not, visit the Movement Writing web site for more 
information:

Movement Writing
http://www.MovementWriting.org

Val ;-)

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



On Mar 30, 2005, at 5:45 AM, Charles Butler wrote:

> My understanding of the difference is in their names.
>  
> SSS is Sign Symbol Sequence, an ordering system to the various 
> characters of SignWriting(R).  It is only those characters used for 
> writing signed languages, not other systems of movement such 
> DanceWriting(R) and SportsWriting(R).
>  
> IMWA is the International Movement Writing Alphabet, a set of symbols 
> taking into account the entire system of Movement Writing, which is 
> larger than the set used for everyday Sign Writing. 
>   
> While the IMWA is connected to the SSS, that is not the only possible 
> ordering, only a technique that helps to ensure that all handshapes 
> used in a given sign language are structured.
>  
> The IMWA is parallel to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) used 
> to write down all human utterance in speech.  The IMWA has the 
> capability of writing down ALL movement of things that move (humans, 
> animals, insects, presumably machines).  As the larger of the two 
> systems of SSS and IMWA, any sign language can draw upon the larger 
> system if it needs to show critical differences in signs (examples 
> such as touching the lower leg, patting oneself on the back, and 
> movements from dance and ballet that often do not occur in a given 
> sign language).  
>  
> Does that help?
>  
> Charles Butler
>  
>
>
> Lucyna Dlugolecka <deafie at gmx.net> wrote:
> Well, I am preparing my lecture on SW and I would like to know what is 
> the difference between SSS and IMWA... I have read the definitions but 
> I can't find the difference..
>  
> Lucyna
>  
>  
> GG 3618151 SMS +48505273292
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