ANNOUNCING: International SignWriting Alphabet 2008

Mon Sep 22 00:07:21 UTC 2008

Hi Valerie,

This is so true! It is very comfortable to use (symbols are even more
well-organised now), and the more I use it, the more I discover how many
wonderful symbols have been added to it.

Before I used to make-do with some movement symbols which although were
ok, were not exact. Now suddenly they are ALL there! I'm enjoying
signwriting at the moment because I keep finding the 'exact' movement
arrows :)

Valerie, with  your 35 years of experience learning you must have had the
patience of Job! Besides ISWA 2008 - which of course is a very big
accomplishment - your perseverence is a fundamental life lesson for all of
us faced with any task, commitment etc etc :))

I'm very happy for you! :))
God bless you,

Maria

> SignWriting List
> September 21, 2008
>
> Hello Maria, and also Ingvild and Hasna from two previous messages...
>
> Thank you for your congratulations...It means a lot to me. The
> International SignWriting Alphabet is the best symbolset we have ever
> had, based on 35 years of experience learning what was needed...I was
> telling Steve the other day, that the ISWA 2008 is "what SignWriting
> always should have been"...The ISWA 2008 feels comfortable to use, as
> if it was always there waiting for us to use it!
>
> ...but it just took 35 years to learn what was needed...through
> feedback and suggestions and studying the writing from signwriters
> around the world...
>
> So I worked on the ISWA symbols, improving them and adding to them,
> for over two years, based on the last IMWA symbolset we were using...
>
> And you are correct, Maria...I really worked hard at making the
> movement arrows just get longer, rather than change in width...There
> are basically two sizes...a small arrow and a larger one, and once you
> start using the larger one, if you want even larger, you just get a
> longer one without the width of the arrow changing...that was months
> of work on my part, trying to standardize that...
>
> And yes...the Facial Circles are now standardized in size. The old
> IMWA symbolset had some facial circles that were not the exact same
> size, so some of them did not fit exactly on top of each other....well
> that problem got fixed in the ISWA....so that is why you used to
> struggle doing that in the old IMWA. so yes...it is now easier to put
> heads on top of each other ...you may have to adjust some of those
> from your old writing because I fixed that problem now...
>
> This was an enormous amount of work, you are right. I designed the
> symbols of the ISWA 2008, but without Steve Slevinski developing the
> software for us to use it in, we would have a much harder time using
> it, and I would not have been able to test it the way I did without
> Steve's software, and because of Steve's outstanding conversion
> software, we were able to automatically convert from the last version
> of the IMWA to the new ISWA without a hitch...it was a flawless
> conversion...so it is the Slevinski-Sutton collaboration that is
> making this possible.
>
> In the ISWA 2008 Reference Manual, I wrote a brief history of
> SignWriting software development, and I also dedicated the ISWA 2008
> to Steve Slevinski...you might want to read it:
>
> Go to this web page and click on number 1:
>
> ISWA 2008 Documents
> http://www.movementwriting.org/symbolbank/ISWA/
>
> And there is still more to do now...Now that the ISWA is posted in
> SymbolBank and in SignPuddle 1.5, I now have to update SignBank
> software with the new symbols, and Steve is working on updating the
> PocketPuddles and other software...
>
> So the work goes on!
>
> Once again thank you for writing your message, Maria...I am happy to
> know you are enjoying the new symbols -
>
> Val ;-)
>
> ------------
>
>
>
>
> On Sep 21, 2008, at 4:54 AM, MARIA AZZOPARDI wrote:
>
>> Hi Valerie and Steve,
>>
>> I've started using the new ISWA in Puddle - it really has improved!
>> Well
>> done! There is a much wider choice of movement arrows - and I love
>> the way
>> when you increase the size of the UP/DOWN arrow, the arrow doesn't
>> just
>> become wider and bigger all over, but has the same width and just
>> increases in length! I think that's very neat :))
>>
>> Also is it my immagination, or do the heads fit easily on to one
>> another?
>> I used to struggle a little to overlap two head symbols, trying to
>> move
>> them onto each other until they become just one head symbol, but now
>> they
>> seem to fit onto each other much easily!
>>
>> Wow I'm just beginning to realise the amount of work you must have put
>> into this project!
>>
>> Thank you very much :))
>>
>> Maria
>>
>>
>>> This is great,
>>>
>>> I loook forward to begin working with it
>>>
>>> (Too busy just now, but in a couple of weeks ...)
>>>
>>> Thank you for all your great effort,
>>>
>>> Ingvild
>>>
>>>
>>> From: sutton at signwriting.org
>>> To: sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu
>>> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:17:28 -0700
>>> Subject: [sw-l] ANNOUNCING: International SignWriting Alphabet 2008
>>>
>>> SignWriting List
>>> September 19, 2008
>>>
>>> Dear SignWriting List:
>>>
>>> Although we have much work ahead, I am happy to announce the Release
>>> Candidate 1 for the International SignWriting Alphabet (ISWA 2008).
>>> Yesterday, September 18th, we installed the ISWA 2008 into
>>> SignPuddle 1.5,
>>> without any problems. The conversion from the old IMWA to the new
>>> ISWA was
>>> automatic and flawless. THANK YOU, to Steve Slevinski, for his
>>> outstanding
>>> conversion software.
>>> (By the way, the problem that Stefan pointed out was related to
>>> something
>>> else entirely from long ago, and was not connected to the ISWA
>>> conversion
>>> process which Steve Slevinski designed.)
>>> Now that you all can use the ISWA 2008 in SignPuddle 1.5, we will
>>> have a
>>> formal review of the ISWA 2008 from September 20, 2008 through
>>> October 20,
>>> 2008.
>>> After the review, we will decide if additional changes are needed
>>> or if
>>> the ISWA 2008 is final and complete.
>>> Once the ISWA 2008 is finalized after October 20, 2008, no further
>>> changes
>>> will be made to the ISWA 2008 symbolset.
>>> In the future, there may be an ISWA 2010 or an ISWA 2012, but the
>>> ISWA
>>> 2008 symbolset will remain the same after October 20th.
>>>
>>> So please enjoy testing and using the ISWA 2008 in SignPuddle. If
>>> you have
>>> any suggestions, please tell us in the next month, here on the
>>> SignWriting
>>> List.
>>> We always look forward to hearing from you!
>>> More information is coming next message...
>>>
>>> Val ;-)
>>>
>>> Valerie SuttonSutton at SignWriting.org
>>> 1. SignWritingRead & Write Sign Languageshttp://www.SignWriting.org
>>> 2. SignPuddleCreate SignWriting Documents
>>> Onlinehttp://www.SignBank.org/signpuddle
>>> 3. SignBankSignWriting Desktop Databaseshttp://www.SignBank.org
>>> 4. SignWriting ListTechnical Support: Ask questions to the List
>>> http://www.SignWriting.org/forums/swlist
>>> 5. SignWriting Literature ProjectWriting Literature in Sign
>>> Languageshttp://www.SignWriting.org/literature
>>> Deaf Action Committee For SignWritingCenter For Sutton Movement
>>> Writingan
>>> educational nonprofit organizationP.O. Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038,
>>> USAtel 858-456-0098   fax 858-456-0020Skype Name: valeriesuttonD-Link
>>> Videophone:  66.27.57.178
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ____________________________________________
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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