[sw-l] SignWriter - feature "gloss" input method

[Barbara Pennacchi]

On 31.05.05 11:56, Tomáš Klapka wrote:

> My idea is to add one more method of input, "gloss" input method.

I'm not talking about signpuddle specifically, I'm talking about the
concept of "glossing" signs in general.

I'm sorry, but after so many years of working side by side with sign
language researchers and teachers, my opinion about the (ab)use of glosses
in almost any sign-related field is very very very very low.

I *do* really wish we'd all start weaning ourselves from these. I do
really want do wean myself, at least (grin)

Glosses do not solve the problem of "rebuilding" in one's own mind a
specific sign made by someone else, in absence of visually-supporting
material. Glosses tend to add more ambiguity. Glosses do not help people
visualize the 4dimensionality of sign language.

And how about the presence of multiple synonyms? Would glosses such as
"DROP" "LET-IT-FALL" "ABANDON" point to the same or to different signs?

And how about using glosses from a strongly "gendered" language such as
spanish, french or italian (which don't have the neutral gender) for sign
language that tend instead to be genderless?

Furthermore, in some cases, the use of glosses is suspected of influencing
non-deaf people into translating sentences from their own mono-dimensional
language into our 4dimensional language, word by word, before actually
signing the sentence.... (I'm being sarcastic here, folks)

But this is only my opinion. And I'm having a real bad day here at work so
forgive me for my bluntness. Nothing personal here, ok?

(BTW: it bugs me that Sign Puddle forces me to give a gloss to signs in
order to save 'em, but I know it is because of technical reasons --
"Unicode, where the heck art thou?")

--
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| Barbara Pennacchi               barbara.pennacchi (at) istc.cnr.it |
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|         Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione          |
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