Chinese language from left to right

[Gagnon & thibeault]

Hi everyone!
 
     I read SW Spanish and SW German textbooks.  Also, I read a SW Brazilian
Portuguese magazine.  I noticed that authors are used to write from left to
right, not from top to bottom.  US authors are used to write from top to
bottom.  I once read that according to SW members, it is easier to read from
top to bottom.
     
    I want to share this with you:  I met a young hearing woman who is a
native Chinese who moved to Canada.  I asked her to read a Chinese language
from top to bottom.  She answered : "No, this Chinese language is now read
from left to right, not anymore from top to bottom."  I then asked her: "Why
did this Chinese language stop to be read from top to bottom?"  She replied
: "It was very hard to read it from top to bottom with many vertical columns
in a book. It is easier to read it from left to right in a book."  She said
that it is easier to read one, two or three vertical column(s), but not 10
vertical columns.  She knew that this specific old Chinese language was read
from top to bottom and had many vertical columns.  But it has changed: it is
now read from left to right and has many horizontal lines.  But, I do not
know if it is true.
     
     I checked this and I found that most US children stories use from one
to four vertical column(s).  Also, I wanted to check the books (i.e. more
than 50 pages).  The SW textbooks based on a bilingual language (sign
language and spoken language) exist from left to right.  It seems to me that
only SW books based on monolingual (i.e. sign language only) read from top
to bottom and with more than 10 vertical columns do not exist.  But I may be
wrong.  I'm asking everyone if you have a SW book only based on a sign
language (i.e. without using a spoken language) and which is read from top
to bottom and has more than 10 vertical columns?
       
     I would also like to ask a question only to native Chinese SW members:
Is it true that a Chinese language is now read and written from left to
right?
 
André Thibeault
 
 
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