SVG version of our IMWA symbols

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
May 12, 2007

Steve Slevinski wrote:
> Do we need to have the mouth shapes include the head outline?    
> Perhaps we could have the mouth shapes by themselves.
>
> Can we have larger head shapes?  Bigger circles and ovals.  That  
> way we could build more complicated facial expressions without  
> worrying about overlap and space limitations.


Hello Steve, Stefan, Sandy, Charles, Adam and everyone -

This is such a good question...

Here are my thoughts on all of it:

1. Writing vertically and horizontally for BOTH fingerspelling and  
Facial Expressions inside vertical columns...
We need a way to type or write vertically, and also horizontally,  
depending on the writer's choice...inside an already-vertical  
document...(good grief!) That sounds like a terrible job for  
programming, but that is what is needed someday... Most people will  
write fingerspelling vertically I believe, when they are writing  
sentences vertically...it flows with the vertical writing as Sandy  
mentioned...but sometimes it will involve three vertical columns of  
fingerspelling inside one vertical column of SignWriting (see  
attached)... The facial expressions are harder to know yet, because  
we do not have as much experience...but an ability to write in either  
direction would be great in the long run...

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2. I will be happy to place the symbols inside the Facial Expression  
circles, as separate symbols outside a facial circle...in the  
ISWA...then all the symbols inside the face can be written inside a  
circle or outside a circle...depending on the writer's choice...

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3. Larger Facial Circles versus proper size-ratio with other symbols

Larger Facial Circles are certainly needed to give us all the  
information.... The symbols we are using today have a Facial Circle  
that is related in proper size ratio to the size of the handshapes,  
shoulders etc....

So enlarging the Facial Circle would look like a person has a swelled  
head - ha!! The heads would be bigger than the other symbols...But  
let's play with that idea...

I do not believe we will ever have a Facial Circle large enough to  
accomodate all the parts of the face at one time...but there may be  
solutions we can work on...

That is why the new ISWA is so important...this is quite a challenge  
but a wonderful one!

Val ;-)