Adam's Suggested Handshape is Cursive

[Valerie Sutton]

Hi Sandy!
Just want you to know I understand what you are saying and I  
agree...to really be able to read signs later, some signs truly do  
need palm facing, and that is why the Shorthand, which does not show  
any palm facing, had to be transcribed later, into regular handwriting  
or printing, because even the writer could not remember what they  
wrote, if that transcription process did not take place...that is why  
although I use the Shorthand for my own personal notes, they are not  
notes that I am keeping for publications...if I want to really write  
something for publication then I use software or very neat  
Handprinting...so each system has its drawbacks and its positives...

So go ahead and write personal handwriting the best way that is good  
for you...

in 2009 my goal is to create a long list of edited and readable,  
published and archived SignWriting Literature...so that teachers and  
students have "reading materials"...lots of it...novels, short  
stories, educational articles, textbooks...everything we can think of  
to give people something to read...with lots of reading materials,  
schools would have an easier time using SignWriting...obviously  
Handwriting is not a part of that project...

Writing is harder than reading, but usually reading a language comes  
first, before advanced writing can occur anyway, so I feel laying the  
groundwork for lots of reading materials will build towards the day  
that there will be better writers...

So thanks for this discussion - it has been very interesting!

Val ;-)

-------


On Dec 30, 2008, at 3:14 PM, Sandy Fleming wrote:

> Hi Val and All!
>
> Yes, the term "italic" is used to refer to the neat, not always  
> cursive
> handwriting style as well as a sloped variant of a font.
>
> Italic and cursive handwriting are done with two different types of  
> pen.
> Cursive is done with a pen nib that comes to a sharp point and line
> thickness is controlled by applying pressure to the pen. Italic
> handwriting is done with an italic pen, which has a flat-ended nib and
> line thickness varies according to the direction of the stroke. Of
> course the subtleties of line thickness is lost with ball-point pen!
>
> I was reading over some of the "shorthand" I did a few days ago and I
> must say I get a bit stuck with it here and there. It's not because  
> the
> symbols aren't clear, it's because some signs really need hand
> orientation to be written in order to distinguish them from other  
> signs.
>
> For example, I was puzzling over a sign I'd written which seemed to be
> "get on with it", whereas after a while I realised that I'd meant
> "story". These are the same sign except that the hands are in the wall
> plane for "get on with it" but in the floor plane with "story". The  
> fact
> that I hadn't bothered to write the palm fill was therefore a problem.
>
> I think that this means that this sort of writing is, to some extent,
> actually a shorthand, because you can't really read some signs in
> isolation: you need context. So for fast, readable writing I think  
> we do
> need to be able to write the hand orientations (palm fills) clearly,
> it's just a question of how to make them quick to write.
>
> I think I'll perhaps try going back to using horseshoe writing for the
> handshapes but stay with the other "shorthand" features for other  
> things
> and see how that goes.
>
> Sandy
>
>
>
>
>
> ____________________________________________
>
> 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