Arm Lines

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
May 1, 2007

> Charles wrote:
> The arm does not have two elbows, it has one, and there is no way  
> to assemble it from the pieces given without knowing that the short  
> piece is the piece from the shoulder down, and the long piece is  
> the forearm.
>
> And if all of them can rotate independently, which the rotate key  
> shows, then I'm not sure how to sort them in a dictionary or look  
> up "ARM" as a place holder if you have accidentally chosen the  
> short one's shoulder end to connect to the long one's wrist end.   
> In rotation they are identical in appearance.
>
> If one looks at the actual coding, then your "arm with extension"  
> would be two distinct characters that happen to coincide, but with  
> a second elbow end floating somewhere.
>
> In handwriting, you can't make that mistake, but if you are  
> assembling with a mouse, what does one do to ensure that you have  
> not accidentally put the shoulder on backwards?


Obviously handwriting does not have the same problems as  
computerization of writing languages...two totally different  
mediums.... So there is always good and bad to handwriting versus  
computerization...

But back to computerization of arm lines and leg lines...that is your  
real question I believe...

The answer is....Val has to clean up the IMWA, or the ISWA ;-)

These limb lines came from the symbols entered in SignWriter DOS. I  
was limited by the contraints of the widths of the old keys in  
SignWriter DOS, so we always pieced arm lines together in SignWriter  
DOS too, but not because I wanted it that way, but because the keys  
could not hold the length of line I wanted...then when those symbols  
were transferred to the IMWA the same contraints were carried  
over...now I think I can manage to get longer lines if I really work  
at it...so it is the work I have to do to clean the IMWA

But when all the proper lengths of arm lines and leg lines are there,  
then there is no problem with looking up the arm line by SSS...so  
right now we are living with what we have...

As far as the rotations go...that is ok and seems to be working with  
the SignSpelling Sequence...the different length of lines are called  
Variations. If you tap on the Variations Key you get different arm  
lengths...but they are all Variations under the same symbol number,  
so they all hold the same first numbers and only their Variation  
number changes...

06-01-002 with Variations, fills and rotations attached at end...

So do not worry about this ...just enjoy writing!

Thanks for your concern... Val ;-)



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