UK Sign Graphics - UK members question for you...

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
November 3, 2006

Jason Hopkins wrote:
> In chapter 7 she talks about a system called 'Sign Graphics'  
> developed by Sara Head when she was a teacher at the Royal School  
> for the Deaf in Derby.  There is suppose to be an article in  
> Laserbeam summer 1992 about it.  I cannot find anything on the web  
> about it, but googleing 'Sign Graphics' is pretty pointless -  
> unless you need a new sign for your business. Does anyone know  
> anything about it?  Is it still in use?   It appears the system was  
> created to help Deaf students learn English, kind of a bridge  
> between BSL and English.


Hello Jason and welcome to the SignWriting List!

I have never heard of Sara Head's Sign Graphics system and would like  
to know about it myself...

There are hundreds of notation systems in the world for writing  
movement and/or signs. As you know, I personally make a distinction  
between a notation system and a writing system...for me, a notation  
system is used to write down certain aspects of movement, but is not  
used to write a letter to a friend in a language...a notation system  
is used for recording movement for research or preservation or for  
detailed video transcription, but is not a daily writing system  
expressing feelings and coming from skilled users of the language  
wanting to convey their own thoughts about something.

The way you describe Sara Head's system above, it sounds more like a  
specially-developed teaching method for teaching a language...rather  
than a daily writing system for writing the movements of BSL, that  
the children actually wrote themselves...but I hope we can find out  
more...

UK members on our List...Do you know about this system in the UK?

Val ;-)