When writing a document in SW...

[James Shepard-Kegl, Esq.]

I can see that spatial comparisons and role shifting are apples and oranges,
and I did not mean to suggest that the two concepts (or topic marking and
role shifting) were synonymous -- far from it.

Sometimes, I just use a particular symbol to convey a particular grammatical
concept.  SignWriting utilizes a transparent system almost all of the time,
but that is a rule that I think need not be honored in every instance.
Punctuation depends upon a code which the reader simply has to know, and if
not obvious, then someone has to teach its significance.  Well, I am
thinking there is no harm in that, especially if one is wedded to horizontal
writing, as I seem to be.

-- James

on 8/21/06 9:36 PM, Valerie Sutton at sutton at signwriting.org wrote
> SignWriting List
> August 21, 2006
> 
> Hi James -
> 
> James Shepard-Kegl, Esq. wrote:
>> "Lanes", eh?  As in "topic markers" and "role shifting", I reckon.
> 
> No. Lanes is a SignWriting term for writing Spatial Comparisons (or
> whatever other name it might be called), but that is actually not
> role shifting...it is comparing one thing on the left with the other
> thing on the right...but you are not changing roles...just comparing
> one item with another...and when people do these comparisons in Sign
> Language, they shift their weight a little to one side of
> center...their whole upper body shifts a little to the left or
> right..not necessarily twisting, but just upper-body-shifting...this
> cannot be written properly in either SignWriter DOS or SignWriter
> Java because writing from left to right, horizontally, weight-
> shifting is not easy to write or read...just placing the hands on the
> left or right of the shoulders is not enough to show the shifting of
> weight...Vertical lanes provide this weight shifting information and
> are easy to read...I explained it to Judy when she was here earlier...
> 
> You can read about Lanes in this Grammar document below:
> 
> Writing in Lanes
> http://www.signwriting.org/lessons/grammar/vertical/vert004.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> 
>> There is a symbol for that, or at least, a symbol that I use for
>> that (arrow
>> showing twist of the torso to the left or right, as applicable), as
>> role
>> shifting is critical and must be conveyed.  In this way, I can
>> write left to
>> right, although this would work vertically just as well.
> 
> 
> That arrow is for a twisting torso, but it does not show the whole
> upper body adjusting itself to the left or right of center. A
> twisting arrow does show the torso twisting to one side or the other,
> but not shifting its weight to one side or the other...So technically
> you could have a twisting of the torso, but still have the whole body
> over in the left lane or right lane...so those are two different
> things...
> 
> 
>> 
>> Snag it works with SignWriter Java, which gives me the white
>> background.
> 
> 
> Great. I am so glad you have tools that work for you!
> 
> Did Judy show you SignText with Lanes?
> 
> Val ;-)