wrist flex and rotation

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
July 9, 2007

Hello Cherie and Everyone!
Thank you for this message....

On Jul 9, 2007, at 5:18 AM, CWren at doe.k12.ga.us wrote:
> First off, sorry for dropping out of the conversation, it was a  
> busy weekend.  My daughter went off to summer camp.  So I am  
> catching up on things this morning.

Ha! I figured you were probably busy with other things, but I also  
envisioned you drowning in Wrist Movement Symbols and struggling with  
them, so it is good to know you had a weekend with your family!

No reason to worry about Wrist Movement Symbols right now...until I  
can prepare the new instruction I have promised for so long, let's  
just keep writing the best we can and in time it will become clearer  
and not so bad after all!!

Just like everyone, I am juggling so many jobs at the same time, that  
I have never finished the new instruction yet...I am hoping it will  
help whenever it is prepared...It is more pictorial, with fewer  
words...it may just help...

I have dreamed of instruction that has no spoken or signed language  
at all to describe how to write SignWriting...It would be an entirely  
international way to show visually how each symbol works, but solely  
with illustrations or photos, and possibly some animation or  
video...Each symbol could be explained in this visual way, which is  
the way they were invented too...

It is when we start using the English language, that it has confused  
people...

One thing I learned this weekend...that the word "FLEX" and "ROTATE"  
have several meanings to different people...and if those words were  
not used, without changing any symbols, half the confusion will go  
away...

So instead of calling them Wrist Flex Symbols, let's just call them  
Wrist Movement Symbols. Wrist Movement Symbols write movement from  
the Wrist Joint, whether it is up and down, or side to side.

I am still trying to find another name for Rotation Symbols, so the  
confusion with Rotate will go away. Essentially it is ELBOW JOINT  
movement, where the wrist is locked as as a unit with the forearm,  
and the whole Hand-Wrist-Forearm Pole (like a metal pole that cannot  
bend), acts like a rotisserie spigot, and changes palm facing from  
black to white or white to black, in place without traveling  
anywhere...To find a new name for that will be wonderful... maybe the  
Rotisserie Symbol - ha! Val ;-)


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