[sw-l] Sign Spelling Syllables question

[Hasna Hocini]

Hello!
Thank you very much for your answers and interest to help me...
We are working on statistical translation. 
The problem now is to find a compact representation  of signs, because if we use the two dimensional representations of signs (As it is in SWML: symbol code, position x,y ), it will not work and the results of our statistical translation system will not be satisfying.
So, we'll use the SignSpelling representation. If we can have the syllables also, It will improve the codification. We will have for example for the second syllable (Mvt syllable) less signs so we will not need to codify that on 13 positions as it is in SSS-2004 but two positions will be enough (177 movements symbols -> using the alphabet to codify them, two positions it will enough 26*26 =676).
Do you think I can do it in a different way?
Thanks a lot,
Hasna






Charles Butler <chazzer3332000 at yahoo.com> a écrit : I would agree.  Think of a sign as a whole concept, like Chinese, you are not translating stroke for stroke, you are translating a whole sign into a whole concept.  

The sign spelling helps one look up two signs in a dictionary by how they are produced, not by their meaning, just like ANGRY and APPLE can be looked up in the dictionary by spelling, not by meaning.  

In ASL, the ANGRY hand would be a 5-claw hand at the chest, APPLE would be a A-hand at the corner of the mouth.  They would sort by their handshapes first, but that has nothing to do with their meaning.

Valerie Sutton <sutton at signwriting.org> wrote: SignWriting List
May 15, 2008

Hasna Hocini wrote:
> 1- If I ask two signers to sign the word "Interesting". Will they do  
> it the same way?
> What are the differences  they will introduce ?

Hello Hasna and everyone -

Your work with translation from signwritten signs, into spoken  
language, is a big job but a fascinating subject...thank you for  
sharing your project with us ;-)

1. There are several signs for the concept of INTERESTING, in American  
Sign Language...Just like in other spoken languages, there are  
oftentimes several words you could use for one concept...

Here are three writings of the sign for INTERESTING in the ASL  
SignPuddle Dictionary, to give you an example....and there may be more  
variations and signs that could be equivalent as well...

The important thing to realize is that this has nothing to do with  
syllables. I cannot see how syllables have anything to do with  
translation, since the "whole word" or "whole sign" carries the  
meanings...the syllables do not have meanings... In this attached  
diagram, you can see the SignSpellings to the  right of the signs (the  
tiny grey symbols in little boxes)...those are only for sorting the  
dictionary by symbols and not the way we actually write the  
signs...The fact that the SignSpellings can be divided into syllables  
is not important for sorting dictionaries...

Looking at the three attached signs...

1. two-handed sign
2. same sign as 1, but one-handed
3. different sign that can also mean fascinating










____________________________________________

SW-L SignWriting List

Post Message
SW-L at majordomo.valenciacc.edu

List Archives and Help
http://www.signwriting.org/forums/swlist/

Change Email Settings
http://majordomo.valenciacc.edu/mailman/listinfo/sw-l



____________________________________________

SW-L SignWriting List

Post Message
SW-L at majordomo.valenciacc.edu

List Archives and Help
http://www.signwriting.org/forums/swlist/

Change Email Settings
http://majordomo.valenciacc.edu/mailman/listinfo/sw-l

 __________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
En finir avec le spam? Yahoo! Mail vous offre la meilleure protection possible contre les messages non sollicités 
http://mail.yahoo.fr Yahoo! Mail 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/sw-l/attachments/20080515/5a9f516c/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------



____________________________________________

SW-L SignWriting List

Post Message
SW-L at majordomo.valenciacc.edu

List Archives and Help
http://www.signwriting.org/forums/swlist/

Change Email Settings
http://majordomo.valenciacc.edu/mailman/listinfo/sw-l