LREC 2010 conference and future SignWriting software

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
May 27, 2010

Hello Nedelina!
Thank you for posting this message. I am glad to know you made it to Malta, and met Maria and Tim. And I understand from Maria, that you all are using SignWriting differently? I would like to hear more about that...the different ways people use SignWriting is an interesting topic. I hope you enjoyed your trip to Malta.

I am happy to know about this organization you mention from Europe:

Sign Language Linguistic Society (SLLS)
http://www.slls.eu/index2.php5

I had never heard of them. I know you are a member of the SLLING List, Nedelina, because that is how I heard about your work in Iceland, but I would love to join the SLLS List...so I am writing to them to ask permission to join...it appears you have to be invited, so they may not want an American sign language transcriptionist like me (smile)...but we will see!

The SLLS web site mentions TISLR 2010 - That is good!

All the best -

Val ;-)

------------




On May 27, 2010, at 11:53 PM, Nedelina Ivanova wrote:

> Hi from Iceland.
>  
>  I could make it to Malta. I met Tim and Maria and it was great to have a talk with both of you.
> It is true that SignWriting was not visible in Malta. As you say, you did not know about the conference ... I was thinking, is such kind of information given on SLLS (http://www.slls.eu/index2.php5)? But you have to be a member to get access to all the information, isn´t it?
>  
> Best regards
> Nedelina
> 
> On Thu, May 27, 2010 at 3:57 PM, Valerie Sutton <sutton at signwriting.org> wrote:
> SignWriting List
> May 27, 2010
> 
> Thank you, everyone, for your discussions about the LREC 2010. I feel many of you have missed the point a little...So let me explain from my point of view.
> 
> SignWriting software development presentations dominated the LREC 2004 in Lisbon. You can see the majority of the papers presented at the LREC 2004 were using SignWriting for software development. I created a special web area for all the papers and the whole proceedings and even the group photo:
> 
> LREC 2004
> http://www.signwriting.org/forums/software/lisbon/index.html
> 
> HamNoSys presentations were there too, in 2004, but in that conference, SignWriting had more presentations.
> 
> So when it comes to conferences, these things wax and wane...sort of like a tidal wave or a snowball effect...and SignWriting will dominate at the LREC conferences in the future...I am sure of it!
> 
> Meanwhile, in 2010, behind the scenes, Steve's software development with SignWriting, which we are soon to announce, is so totally fabulous for people who write sign languages on a daily basis, for writing real literature and encyclopedia articles in the facial expressions and handshapes and movements and role shifting of sign languages, that it is really not correct to compare our work with anyone else's, including HamNoSys, since the HamNoSys system's goals are different. HamNoSys cannot write sign language literature. There is no comparison because the goals of the two systems were never the same. HamNoSys is not a system designed for writing for everyday use like SignWriting is...and therefore I feel it is wrong to even compare the two systems, since our goals are different.
> 
> Why was SignWriting not present at this current LREC 2010? Because we didn't even know about the conference until all the papers had already been submitted and accepted...and besides...our organization doesn't have the funds right now to pay our own way to Malta from the US, and meanwhile our work is free on the internet for everyone to use, and we are making huge strides forward now with really cool software for people who read and write sign languages on a daily basis, and that has nothing to do with any other system...
> 
> So this is more a choice as to when we present our work at conferences, and not a statement as to whether one system is better or not...or more used or not for that matter...
> 
> Meanwhile, there are other linguistic-based software projects that DO use SignWriting, and also three different Avatar projects, so SignWriting is used for these other areas too, but those projects were not represented at this particular conference...One of the current linguistic projects using SignWriting has recently submitted a grant to fund it, so it is just getting started with using SignWriting for their linguistic database. If that project succeeds, it may influence other linguistic programs in the future to use SignWriting too, and Steve's new software development will help that process along.
> 
> Remember Maria, that you did not know about the 2010 conference yourself, until it was too late to submit? If it were not for Shane, who informed us about the conference (thank you Shane!), I don't believe we would have known about it...and that is ok...there are conferences in the future where SignWriting will be present again...too bad not in Malta though!
> 
> I am giving you all big hugs and just know that great things are coming...
> 
> And may I ask...was Tim Grove from the UK, and Nedelina Ivanova from Iceland, able to fly into Malta, and did you meet each other? I hope so...I was thinking of all of you the whole time...I know the volcano in Iceland made flying difficult...
> 
> Val ;-)
> 
> 
> 
> On May 27, 2010, at 8:10 AM, Steve Slevinski wrote:
> 
> > MARIA AZZOPARDI wrote:
> >> Dear Steve, Val and all the list,
> >> I attended the LREC 2010 and I must say I was slightly disappointed at the
> >> very low use of SignWriting in Computer Sign Language linguists. There
> >> were some researchers that told me they considered SignWriting, but opted
> >> for HanNoSys. It would be ideal if SignWriting were used, I thought, but I
> >> probably can't understand the technicalities, as computers are not my
> >> area.
> >> Could you explain why the situation is so.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Nedelina Ivanova
> Sign language researcher
> 
> The Communication Centre for The Deaf and Hard of Hearing
> Sudurlandsbraut 12
> 108 Reykjavik
> Iceland
> 
> www.shh.is