Everyone here wrote sign language

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
April 15, 2006

Hello Steve!
What a wonderful idea! An inspiring story from Martha's  
Vineyard...and your projects are amazing! Thank you for those...

I would choose to say "Everyone here writes sign language'..in the  
present tense for two reasons.

First, it is not only in the past, but in the present and future! The  
past tense to me, sounds like an archeological dig...talking about a  
rare time in history when people wrote sign languages...smile...as if  
it had stopped or something ;-)

And second, the past tense of the verb to WRITE, in ASL, is not the  
way you wrote it in your attached file...I am not an expert on ASL,  
but I believe it will need the sign for FINISH after the sign for  
WRITE, to show the past tense, plus it really needs some facial  
expressions to write the ASL version of that sentence...

Perhaps we can make a video clip of different signed languages,  
signing that sentence and then write it in SignWriting from the video  
clip...that would be fun!

Val ;-)

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





On Apr 14, 2006, at 3:53 PM, Steve Slevinski wrote:

> Thanks Klapka,
>
> On SignPuddle.org I am going to create a place where people can  
> write documents, dictionaries even personal blogs in SignWriting.   
> SignBank.org will use the same software.  Every year I'm going to  
> create a DVD Archive that packages the website and makes it  
> available as a historical document of what we did.  This will not  
> be the entire SignWriting universe, only the segment where I work.
>
> "Everyone here wrote sign language" will be the title of the DVD.   
> It is in homage to the book "Everyone here spoke sign language"  
> which is a historical account of the hereditary deafness of  
> Martha's Vineyard.  At the time, they didn't consider their place  
> in history.  Deaf were people too.  There was nothing wrong with  
> their body or their mind.  Everyone learned sign language from birth.
>
> "Everyone here wrote sign language" is a statement of intent.   
> Maybe it should be in the present.  "Everyone here writes sign  
> language."  Maybe I need two translations.  The present for the  
> website and the past for the DVD archive.
>
> Who is everyone?  Anyone who wants to be included.  Anyone who  
> says, "I write sign language."
> There was just a message on the Sign Language Linguists List where  
> a woman wrote "ASL is not a written language."  I couldn't disagree  
> more.
>
> "Everyone here wrote sign language" is a statement that only  
> history can judge.  Do we really write sign language? We are not  
> all expert signers, writers, linguists or historians.  But we all  
> write sign language.  History will be our judge no matter what the  
> doubters of today have to say.
>
> Where is "here"?  Anywhere people write sign language: real or  
> virtual.
>
> Regards,
> -Steve
>
> Tomáš Klapka wrote:
>> Hi Steve,
>>
>> czech (česky), Czech Republic - Každý zde psal znakovým jazykem.
>> esperanto, everywhere - Ĉiuj ĉi tie skribis signolingvon.
>>
>> well, but I miss the context. What exactly do you mean by the  
>> message? Who is everybody? Why do you use past (wrote)? (It should  
>> help me understand the exact meaning and so find the best  
>> translation)
>>
>> Tomas Klapka
>> Prague
>>
>> On 4/14/06, *slevin at signpuddle.net <mailto:slevin at signpuddle.net>*  
>> <slevin at signpuddle.net <mailto:slevin at signpuddle.net> > wrote:
>>
>>     people
>>
>>     here
>>
>>     write
>>
>>     sign
>>
>>     language
>>
>>     	
>>     comma_v
>>
>>     ASL_2
>>
>>     period_v
>>
>>
>>
>>     Hi List,
>>
>>     Anyone want their langauge included?
>>
>>     I need the phrase \"Everyone here wrote sign language\"  
>> translated
>>     into as many languages as possible. Make sure to tell me the name
>>     of the langauge (spoken or signed) and a location on the earth
>>     (include any amount of detail).
>>
>>     I do not need a word for word translation. This is a message. I
>>     need that message as clear as possible in the native language.
>>
>>     This will be for SignPuddle.org\'s homepage.
>>
>>     Either emailing a SignText document or a SignMail from SignPuddle
>>     would work best. You can send it to me directly or send it to the
>>     list.
>>
>>     The above SignWriting is my attempt at ASL. I\'ll probably us it
>>     to get started, unless anyone wants to improve it.
>>
>>     Thanks,
>>
>>     -Steve
>>
>>      
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>> ---
>>     +
>>     %0D%0A>+I%20do%20not%20need%20a%20word%20for%20word% 
>> 20translation.%20%20This%20is%20a%20message.%20%20I%20need%20that% 
>> 20message%20as%20clear%20as%20possible%20in%20the%20native% 
>> 20language.
>>     %0D%0A>+ %0D%0A>+This%20will%20be%20for%20SignPuddle.org\'s%2!
>>     0homepage. %0D%0A>+ %0D%0A>+Either%20emailing%20a%20SignText%2!
>>     0documen
>>     t%20or%20a%20SignMail%20from%20SignPuddle%20would%20work% 
>> 20best.%20%20You%20can%20send%20it%20to%20me%20directly%20or%20send 
>> %20it%20to%20the%20list.%20%20
>>     %0D%0A>+
>>     %0D%0A>+The%20above%20SignWriting%20is%20my%20attempt%20at% 
>> 20ASL.%20%20I\'ll%20probably%20us%20it%20to%20get%20started,% 
>> 20unless%20anyone%20wants%20to%20improve%20it.
>>     %0D%0A>+ %0D%0A>+Thanks, %0D%0A>+-Steve">Reply to this message
>>      
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>> ---
>>
>>     Courtesy of SignBank.org <http://www.signbank.org>
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>> ---
>>
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