Nepali Sign Language article using SignWriting/SSW visit

[Erika Hoffmann]

Hello again - sorry for the brief silence. I'm at a new job so I have
a new email and needed to update my membership in the list.

In reply to my last message Val asked: And what about your actual
Nepali Sign Language writing? Do you have any samples? I notice we do
not have a Nepali SignPuddle and I am really surprised...how did you
write your documents?"

I'm not sure if  my project works well with Puddles because I'm not
trying to document NSL per se, or create dictionary listings. Rather,
I've been using SSW to create transcripts of conversational
interactions - so in order to reflect the formal properties of what's
going on I can't use citation forms. I used the signwriting tool on
the website to create my transcripts.

At Stefan's suggestion I'm passing along some material I sent him last
week. I've attached a pdf of an article I've written for the Journal
of Linguistic Anthropology. I'm also sending a link to the journal's
web page, where I've also got video (re-enacted for the privacy of my
participants) and SSW transcripts to supplement the English glosses in
the print journal.
I'm sure you will find many errors in my Signwriting, but I had to
work quickly with the editor to arrange for this special supplement.
Also, you'll note that I am writing from the receptive rather than
productive viewpoint. I agree that writing from the productive
viewpoint is preferable, but the receptive viewpoint is more in
keeping with the way that data would be presented in this journal. It
has been quite difficult to work with traditional journal formats to
get the SSW transcripts included, but I think it's extremely
important. One thing I was quite pleased about is that, in the actual
journal text, the SSW for the lexical items appears on the same line
as the English glosses, rather than on the same plane as the
illustrations from the NSL dictionary, which helps with readers'
ability to see that the SSW is writing and not an illustration.
http://linguisticanthropology.org/web-enhanced-articles/web-enhanced-article-metasemiotic-regimentation-in-the-standardization-of-nepali-sign-language/

As you will see from the errors I have surely made in my transcripts,
I would benefit from visiting some more experienced SignWriters, not
only in order to bolster my ability to write about SSW but also to use
it well. I received a very short training from James Shepard in 2003,
but since then I have been working with it on my own (with occasional
questions for the list). Therefore the seminar Val mentioned before is
something I would be very interested in attending!
And thank you Val for the suggestions about places and people I might visit.

Best,
Erika
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