SignWriting at the Gally protest?

[Valerie Sutton]

Hello Everyone!
This message refuses to post to the List, if I include a diagram, so  
I am posting the message here once again, and then I will create a  
web page with the diagram...so that link is coming !  Val ;-)

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SignWriting List
October 22, 2006

Kimberley Shaw wrote:

> The SW below is what I think that sign is saying, which is one of  
> the big chants from this round of protests. "J-a-n-e out" is the  
> other one. By the way, SignText doesn't want to load up onto my  
> computer today, so I had to use Puddle "translate" today ...
>

Hi Kim and Stuart!
Sorry to see SignText did not work for you today. Regarding the  
Puddle signs...they are not written correctly regarding palm  
facing...they had the palm facing switched so I have switched them in  
the attached diagram plus I attached my quick shorthand for those  
signs to the right...

Shorthand is not the same as Handwriting...Handwriting is more formal  
in comparison...Shorthand is more personal...I assume knowledge of  
the signs...for example in the middle sign...I didn't need to write  
both hands since the Grasp Symbol informed me of two hands and I  
assumed they were the same handshape unless otherwise stated...In  
Shorhand the baseshape or rootshape is not important because you are  
assuming knowledge of the language, but when you re-write your notes  
in SignWriting Printing then you use the proper official symbols.

The Shorthand that you saw on the Gallaudet poster is quite similar  
to SignWriting...it looks like a direct take from SignWriting, but it  
might also be a blend of other notation systems that people develop  
for themselves personally, like Bernard Bragg's, which Stuart just  
mentioned...You would be amazed how many personal notation systems  
look a little like SignWriting...that is a good sign, because it  
means that we are visually in tune with how signers naturally think...

No matter what, it is exciting to see the pictures of the poster with  
the writing! Maybe people are ready to start writing signs - I hope  
so! For those who want ASL to be respected, I would think writing the  
language would become more and more important as time goes on -

Thanks for your postings, Stuart and Kim!

Val ;-)